Nerd
by Says The Schizophrenic
Summary: AU:Edward is a nerdy dork. And human. He is being abused by his military father, and his monster of a mother just died. Bella is a happy, beautiful free spirited Vampire, living with the Cullen family. Some Humor. BXE. GIVE IT A SHOT! You wont regret it!
1. Chapter 1

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--Edward--

I sighted as I straightened out my new room. Well, new to me. I was going to live with my father, Henry, from now on. My mother, Elizabeth, had died in a plain crash just a few weeks ago.

As horrible as it might sound, I didn't really miss her that much. I hardly knew the woman. And the encounters I had with her, weren't pleasant. She was a strict, non tolerate woman. One mistake was one to many in her book.

"Edward." I straightened up immediately. I stared straight ahead as my father came into my room. He looked around the now hospital clean room and nodded in satisfaction.

"Are you done unpacking, boy?" He asked briskly.

"Yes sir." I said in a monotone voice. He stared at me with cold gray eyes, and smacked his cane right into the back of my knees, making me fall. I caught myself in time with my hands. I shot up again, standing in the same position as I had earlier. My knees were killing me, but I didn't let it show.

"Don't take that tone with me, boy. Speak clearly when you speak to me. Speak only when spoken too. You don't ask a question until I say you can ask a question. Understood?" He barked in his military voice.

"Yes sir." I said more clearly. He nodded in satisfaction and lowered the cane. My father was a soldier in his younger days, but he had to retire when a mine blew off one of his legs. He was strict, and loved everything that had to do with the military. No wonder my mother fell for him.

"Look at what that woman has done to you. Your pathetic. No muscles, can't even stand straight. You look like a sissy. A chess club sissy." He said as he circled me like a shark circling in on his pray. I knew I looked like a geek. I _was_ a geek. I had geeky clothes, glasses, messy bronze hair that was never tame. It just stood out everywhere.

"I used to beat up kids like you." He hissed viciously. He pushed me lightly and I stumbled backwards. I never trained, and my balance sucked. I was more focused on my studies and music. Piano especially. I always wanted to play El-guitar, but my mother refused. She said it was too barbaric.

He shook his head in disappointment as I straightened up hastily.

"No, I'll have to toughen you up. I'm debating on even letting you go to school tomorrow. What will the town think when they see the pathetic excuse of a boy I've got? I'm ashamed to call you my son, Edward." He said seriously. I hade to bite my tongue to not say something smart back.

"You'll finish high school and go straight to the army. A scrawny boy like you will have no chance in life. Go to sleep, you have school tomorrow." And with that, he walked out of the room gracefully.

As soon as the door closed I hurried into my bathroom. Quickly, I tried to comb my hair down so it would lay flat, but I only made it worse. Sighting, I brushed my teeth and shed my clothes. I took a quick shower, and hurried into my bedroom again. I checked my clothes for the next day. White kaki pants, a white shirt and a brown striped knitted vest to go over. My backpack was packed as well, ready to just be grabbed.

I laid down on my bed, staring into the darkness. I had only met my father a few times. I knew how to act because of my mother, who had demanded the same sort of respect. She didn't use a cane to hit though, she used a chain instead.

I had a lot of scars on my body, and all the nannies I had had knew about them. They also knew that my mother was the one who made them. It wasn't like they could do anything about it though. My mother was a lawyer, a wealthy one at that. She could ruin their life in a blink of an eye.

When she died, I thought things would get better for me. Maybe I could start deciding for myself. Maybe I could decide what I wanted to do with my life. All hope of that was shattered right after the funeral, when my father had told me to come and live with him. Again, I didn't have a say in anything.

Slowly, I felt sleep overtake me. I was tired after the flight, and everything that had happened in the last few weeks. I felt my stomach flip at the thought of tomorrow. I would start at Forks high then, something I almost dreaded more then my next beating.

I woke up to the annoying beeping of my alarm clock. I turned it off, stood up, put my thick glasses on, and made my bed. It was six in the morning, giving me two hours to get ready for school. I walked into the bathroom and started getting dressed. In vain, I tried the hairbrush again, but my hair was still sticking all over the place.

I shaved my face quickly, and made sure the sink was dry before I left the bathroom. I walked downstairs carefully, not wanting to trip.

My father was sitting in the kitchen, fully dressed and eating breakfast. He glanced up at me when I walked in and frowned at my clothes.

"Don't you have any normal clothes?" He asked me sourly, folding the newspaper and laying it down on the table. I stood in front of him, my back straight.

"No sir." I said as clearly as I dared. His frown deepened.

"Sit down and eat, boy." I sat down across from him, and the maid instantly filled my plate with eggs and bacon.

"Who bought your clothes?" He asked me as he picked up his newspaper again.

"One of the maids, sir." I answered right before I took another bite. He nodded his head in understanding.

"Your car is parked out front. You will only use it to school and home again. No one but you will drive the car. If your having friends over, you call and ask me first. If you want to do something after school, you call, or ask me first. Any questions." He asked briskly, glaring at me from over the newspaper.

"No sir." I said clearly. I took up my cell phone and saw that the battery was fully charged. Nodding to myself, I put it back into my pocket. We finished eating in silence, and when I was done, I ran up to my room and brushed my teeth, grabbed my bag and ran downstairs again.

My father tossed me a pair of keys, and dismissed me. I almost mock saluted him, but stopped myself in the last second. I did not want to go around with a limp for the rest of the day.

My car was an old gray Toyota. I was fine with it though, it was much better then walking. As soon as the house was out of sight, I relaxed into the seat. I put the radio on, desperate for any kind of music. That was what I wanted to be, a musician. I loved Rock music most, which was frustrating since I wasn't allowed to listen to it.

The school was easy to find, even in the light drizzle of rain. It looked more like one big building. Sort of like the gym in my old school.

I collected my schedule quickly. The lady behind the desk was surprised when she saw me. I looked nothing like my father. Although we did have the same height, we didn't have the same built. He was big, full of muscles, and had light brown hair, and gray eyes. I looked a lot more like my mother, and since no one knew who she was, no one would know who I took after in looks.

I walked to my first class, English. There were a lot of students in the room already, who was staring at me intently. Most of them sniggered, and I noticed that a fat, pimple faced guy with blond spikes was the one who laughed the loudest and most pompously.

"Is this the new guy? You have _got_ to be kidding me!" All of his friends laughed with him, some even pointed. I just sighed and sat down. He was one of those wanna be gangsters.

"Good one Mike!" One of the guys said, laughing extra loudly.

The only one who didn't laugh was the huge guy sitting next to me. He had curly dark brown hair, and looked like a serious weight lifter. He was glaringly handsome, something that surprised me. Big people were usually…not good looking. He noticed me staring and I quickly looked down at the book in front of me. He turned back around, as the class started.

Lunch rolled around quickly, and I hadn't talked to anyone all day. But wherever I went, there was always someone laughing at me. I ignored everyone and their crude remarks.

I was about to walk into the cafeteria when I felt a huge hand grab my shoulder roughly, dragging me back. It felt like four sausages wrapped around my mouth as someone dragged me into the men's room. I was thrown down on the dirty floor roughly. I looked up and saw Mike, and two of his buddy's standing over me with evil grins.

"I think you owe us some money, Mason." What the hell? _I didn't…_

"Excuse me?" I ask trying to get up. One of his friends kicked me in the stomach, so I fell back down. My glasses fell off my nose and on to the floor. I was practically blind without them.

"You owe us your lunch money. A rich boy like you must have enough of that." Mike said snobbishly. I shook my head slowly.

"I don't." I stated simply. I rubbed a hand over my stomach, it hurt like hell. I was glad my parents only hit me, or my dad now anyway. That I could handle. Being kicked in the stomach like that was far worse.

"Well, I guess we'll have to teach you a lesson then, so maybe you'll get some money tomorrow." Mike said, cracking his knuckles. I gulped and scrambled away from them. Both of his friends pulled me up by the arms and held me tightly.

"What, aren't you going to beg or something?" Mike asked stupidly. I just shook my head. They would do whatever they wanted with me no matter what I said, so I didn't see the point in begging. Beside, my dad would shoot me if he knew I begged for anything.

Mike smirked and grabbed a roll of toilet paper and started rolling it around my head, and body. I probably looked like a mummy. I heard something snap in two. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just broke your glasses." Mike said sarcastically, before all three off them broke into loud laughter. They continued to wrap me in tightly. I'm sure they'd at least used five rolls by now, because I could barely move.

"I've always wondered how it looks like inside a toilet…maybe you could tell me, Mason." I felt myself being picked up as they started to move me towards the toilets. Now I was trying to fight back, but it was difficult to do so when I was wrapped in toilet paper, and two guys was holding me still. The door to the bathroom opened, and I felt all of them freeze.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" A dark musical voice asked. I was dropped onto the hard floor.

"Nothing, just showing Mason around school. We're done now, though." Mike said, and the door opened and closed again. I tried to sit up, but the toilet paper was too thick. I started wiggling in it, trying to break free one of my arms. The deep voice chuckled, and removed the toilet paper around my face. It didn't help much, because I could only see a huge blur.

"My name's Emmett Cullen. Sorry about them, they can be…assholes." He said, chuckling again. I squinted up at him, and could vaguely make out his curly dark hair.

"Dude, your almost blind." He stated, surprised.

"Yeah, I've noticed." He boomed out a loud laugh and started ripping the toilet paper with ease. Soon enough, I was free. I dropped down to the floor and started searching for my glasses.

"Looking for these?" Emmett asked, holding something out to me. I felt them with my hands and sighted sadly, they'd broken them in two. I put the peaces together and held them up to my eyes, looking at Emmett.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Edward Mason, but I guess you know that. Thanks for the help, though." I said sincerely. He smiled a big goofy smile, and chuckled.

"No problem. You know, just a tip, A T-shirt and jeans doesn't hurt anyone if you don't want to stand out. I'm guessing this isn't the first time this happened." Emmett said lightly. I knew he only wanted to help me, and I would probably wear that if I had the chance too.

"Your probably right. And no, this isn't the first time. Probably not the last ether." I mumbled. I wasn't use to people being nice to me, or even talking to me. I felt after the tape in my backpack, and brought it out.

"Oh man! No, I can't let you do that to yourself." Emmett said, taking the white tape out of my hands. I had predicted something like this happening, so I took it with me.

"What? Their broken, and I have to have them." I protested. I held my hand out, waiting for him to hand the tape over. He chuckled and laid a hand on my shoulder. I flinched away violently.

"Dude, relax." He said carefully.

"Sorry, reflex." I answered quietly. I don't think I've ever talked this much with someone…ever. I just wasn't allowed.

"I was going to take you to my little sister. She can fix them for you. And as you can't see, I was going to steer you in the right direction." He clarified. I nodded my head, and slung my backpack over my shoulder. I couldn't see anything, with my broken glasses in my backpack, so I felt my way over to the door. Emmett chuckled before he opened it and grabbed my shoulder again, ignoring my winching.

"How old is she?" I asked him as we walked through the empty hall. It was in the middle of lunch, so everyone was in the cafeteria. Still, it was weird to not see anything other then blurs.

"Seventeen. She's in the cafeteria with the rest of my family. We don't usually talk with other people so…" He trailed off uncertainly.

"Why are you being so nice to me then?" I asked surprised. He chuckled again, something he seemed to do a lot.

"Because your interesting. Besides, why shouldn't I be nice to you?" It was a rhetorical question, and I had no interest in answering when the answer was so glaringly obvious. Besides, I could probably write a whole essay about why he shouldn't be nice to me. We walked into the cafeteria, because all the blurs got colors. Emmett steered me over to a table with four blurs. I couldn't make out anything else.

"Hey Alice, could you fix his glasses, Newton broke them." Emmett said. "Sure." A high pitched musical voice answered. I felt around for a chair and sat down. Emmett plopped down next to me.

"Well, I know you can't see them, but this is Rosalie, Alice, Bella and Jasper. My siblings." Emmett said lightly. I nodded and gave a brief smile. Everyone had the same musical soft voice, which puzzled me. I didn't have time to think about it, because my phone started vibrating. The only person who called me was my father. He specifically gave me the phone so he and _only_ he could call me. I felt my face pale and I gulped before I fumbled my phone out of my pocked and answered it.

"Hello sir." I said clearly. I whished I could of seen the faces of Emmett and the rest of his family, but Alice was still fixing my glasses. I could feel their eyes on my face, and everyone had gone quiet.

"Don't use that tone with me boy. Now, I called to tell you to come straight home after school." He said angrily. I felt the rest of the blood drain from my face. Shit, what the hell did I do?

"Permission to ask a question, sir." I knew I was walking on thin ice now, and I mentally scolded myself for asking permission. It was just asking for trouble.

"Permission granted, two minuets." He said with an edge to his voice.

"Did I forget something this morning sir?" Which basically meant 'What did I do, and how bad is my punishment?'.

"Wet towel on the floor. 3 O'clock." He practically growled at me. I let go of the breath I'd been unconsciously holding. It wasn't in relief though, quite the opposite.

"Times up. Training room, straight after school. Understood?"

"Yes sir." I said right before he hung up. I sighted once again and slumped down in my seat.

"Here you go." Said a quiet voice from my right. I recognized it as Alice.

"Thank you." I said gratefully. I put them on and looked at the rest of them. They were all inhumanly gorgeous. I smiled half heartedly at them. There was an awkward silence.

"Nice to see you." I said, unsure of what to do with myself. I didn't fit in with them, at all. The girl sitting right in front of me smiled, which left me dazzled. She had chocolate brown hair, and big topaz eyes. Her skin was perfect, and milky white. I noticed that all of them were milky white and had topaz eyes.

"So…are you all related?" I asked, breaking the silence. I was more nervous now then before, because I knew what waited me at home.

"Um, no. We're all adopted. Rosalie and Jasper are twins though, but the rest of us are from different places." The girl with brown hair said, gesturing with her hand to the two blonds. I knew Alice was sitting beside me, so that meant the girl before me was Bella. Jasper was looking at me strangely, and Alice looked like she wanted to say something, really badly.

The bell rang before anyone could say anything though, which I was grateful for. I just wasn't made to have friends, or fit in.

We all parted ways, and I noticed that everyone was staring at me, and the Cullen's. I sighted as I walked to my next class. All I really wanted to do was just go and hang myself. The only thing that kept my going was my music, and the small hope I still had, that some day, when my father had died and I was free, I could go and do whatever I wanted.

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_Review?_


	2. Chapter 2

--Edward--

The rest of the day went past all to soon. I whished that the school day would be longer. P.E sucked, and I got picked last. Not that I expected anything else. The only good thing was that Newton was slower then me. It was good to know for later.

Quickly, I walked to my car. I jumped in and sped out of the parking lot, waiving back at Emmett and Bella who were leaning on a new dark blue Volvo. They were waiting for their family.

I envied them. All of them. They could do whatever they wanted with their lives. When they came home, they would eat, have fun, and just enjoy life. They would _talk_ to their parents.

I switched the radio off as soon as I parked the car. I saw the curtains fall in front of the window, and knew that one of the maids had told my dad I was home. Quickly, I walked up the steps and opened the door, hanging my coat off and giving my backpack to one of the maids. She gave me a sad smile, filled with sympathy. She knew then, what I was in for.

"He is waiting in the training room. Go on, you don't want him to wait." She urged me. I gave her a half hearted smile and started walking towards the training room. It was big, and had a lot of equipments in it. They were all pushed to the side, so a wide space was in the middle of the room, where my dad was standing, with a belt in one hand, and his cane in the other.

"Come here boy." he said calmly. I gulped and walked over to him. His cold gray eyes looked at me for a full minuet without blinking.

"Take of your shirt, and put your hands behind your head." He demanded. I did as I was told. The minuet my hands rested on the back of my head, I felt the buckle hit me hard on the back.

Again and again he hit me, for two whole minuets. It felt like an hour though, and I knew my back was bleeding. Still, I didn't make a sound.

"That will teach you to pick up after yourself. Now, come with me. No, don't put your shirt on just yet." He said, an evil glint in his eyes. He started walking, and I followed. Once we reached the door, he grabbed himself an umbrella and gestured for me to walk outside first.

It was raining heavily outside, and I was drenched from head to toe in a few seconds. Henry pushed a heavy rock into my hands. It was flat around the edges, so it wasn't that hard to hold, but it was still heavy.

"You need to build up some muscles, boy. Now, I want you to go out into the middle of the lawn, hold the rock high above your head until I say you can come back inside. I will see it if you cheat. Understood?" He barked at me.

"Yes sir!" I said over the roaring rain. I took a firm grip around the edges and walked into the middle of the lawn. The rain was coming down harder then ever, and I all I wanted to do was run inside and play some relaxing music.

I pushed the rock high above my head, and stood there. The rock shielded some of the rain from my eyes, so I could see the road, and everyone driving on that road, could see me. My hands started to shake with the effort of holding it up. I wasn't used to doing things like this.

I groaned silently as I saw the blue Volvo coming up the road. It stopped in front of our lawn and Alice, Emmett and Bella stepped out of the car. Jasper and Rosalie looked at me curiously from the car, not wanting to get out.

_GO AWAY!_ I screamed in my mind. They were only making everything worse for me. I would have a long interrogation from Henry, just so I could tell him everything they said, and what I answered.

"Dude, what are you doing?!" Emmett yelled over the roaring rain. I tried to smile, but I only managed to grunt in pain. My back was stinging from the cold rain that kept hitting my wounds where the belt buckle had hit. And my arms were shaking more then ever.

"Exercising." I grunted out, clenching my teeth together tightly.

"Your going to get sick, its freezing outside!" Bella said, concerned. Her eyes raked over my skinny chest and stomach, and she frowned. I knew I was underfed, and I knew I had a lot of ugly scars. I knew _I_ was ugly. Like I said, I did not fit in with them.

"I'm…okay." I managed to get out. My fingers were turning numb, and my arms were burning. Emmett shook his head and took the stone from my arms like it weighted nothing. It probably didn't.

"What happened to you?" Alice asked, horrified. She spun me around and looked at my back. I ripped myself away from her and turned around again, so they wouldn't see it. I didn't want anyone to see that, or know for that matter.

"Nothing, I just fell through a glass table." I lied lamely, panting. It was one of my worse excuses. I heard the door open behind me and I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply.

"Boy, did I say you could put that stone down?! Pick it back up, _now_!" Henry yelled, walking over the lawn towards us. He still had the umbrella. I ripped the stone out of Emmett arms as fast as possible and lifted it over my head again. Bella, Alice and Emmett stared from me to my father in shock.

"Ah, I see you have met the Cullen's. Bella, Emmett, Alice." My father greeted them politely, only he had an edge to his voice.

"Yes sir." I gasped out.

"Sir, don't you think Edward should be allowed to go back inside, its freezing, he could-" Bella started. I shot her an angry look. Couldn't they just shut up and leave me alone? They were making everything worse.

"Ah, Bella. I don't expect you to understand this. Edward was disobedient, and this is his punishment. Besides, we are working on his building, he's far to skinny. He should look more like you Emmett. See that, boy, _that's_ how a soldier should look like." My dad mocked me, gesturing with his hand in Emmett's direction.

Emmett looked angry, as did Bella and Alice. Jasper and Rosalie stepped out of the blue car and walked over to where we were standing.

I felt humiliated. My own father, was mocking how I looked, and I was showing everyone how weak and pathetic I was, and I was half naked, in front of inhumanly gorgeous people. Did I mention I hate my life?

"And what did he do?" Emmett asked angrily, glaring down at my dad. Henry's smile tightened, and became more forced.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Cullen. Say hello to your father for me." He dismissed them. It looked like he was about to protest, but stopped when he saw what happened. While everyone else kept talking, I was loosing my grip on the stone. It landed on my head with a thump, and I fell to my knees, clutching my throbbing head.

"Ow." I muttered pathetically. My arms fell to my sides, useless. I could hardly feel them anymore. Jasper was rubbing his own arms subconsciously.

"Get up." Henry demanded. He didn't punch me, or hit me with the cane. I didn't expect him to ether. He would never do anything like that in front of other people. I scrambled up, standing straight.

"Get inside. Training room. Now." He commanded me.

"Yes sir." I said clearly, turned and walked stiffly into the house. I stood in the middle of the room, stiff as a board. Boy was I in trouble.

--Bella--

"There you guys are, finally! What took you so long?" I asked as Jasper, Alice and Rosalie came out to the parking lot. Edward had just sped out of it himself, looking scared. I felt bad for him, after what Emmett told me happened at lunch, and the phone call from his dad. No one in this town liked that man.

"Alice's locker got stuck, and the only way to get it open was to rip it off, and she couldn't do that when Newton and his gang was standing right behind us. So we had to wait for them to leave." Jasper explained as we piled into the my car. I nodded my head in understanding.

"I feel bad for Edward." I stated. Emmett, who was sitting in the passenger seat glanced over at me and chuckled.

"I know what you mean. Poor kid-" Alice cut him off impatiently.

"I wanted to slap him! How dare he dress like that? I just wanted to drag him to the nearest mall. And those _glasses_! I almost thanked Newton for breaking them. I felt so guilty for fixing them, I almost wanted to say that they were a lost cause or something." Alice ranted angrily. I giggled slightly.

"Come on, they weren't _that_ bad. And he seemed nice." I defended him. The rest of my family stared at me strangely.

"What?" I asked defensively.

"Since when did you start defending humans?" Rosalie asked a little harshly. I rolled my eyes, earning a glare from Emmett.

"I don't know, I just think you judge to quickly. Besides, what does it matter? Its not like we can be friends with him anyway." I said with a shrug.

"He was depressed, you know." Jasper said quietly as he played with Alice's hand absently. Alice nodded understandingly.

"I would be depressed too if my clothes looked like that." She said sympathetically. Rosalie snorted, and continued to look at herself in the mirror. I frowned, but didn't say anything. Emmett didn't ether, which surprised me. He was looking out the window with a furious expression on his face.

"What the hell…?" He said quietly. He motioned for me to slow down, and pointed out of the window. I glanced over and gasped at what I saw.

Edward was standing in the middle of the lawn, only wearing a pair of pants, holding a huge rock above his head. His arms were shaking, and his lips had turned blue. I heard him groan softly when I stopped the car in front of their house.

I didn't really think when I stepped out of the car, I just did. I heard Alice and Emmett follow me.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Emmett yelled when we got closer. Edward tried to smile, but it came out more as a grimace. He grunted with the effort of holding the stone up, and his arms started shaking even more.

"Exercising." He said, clenching his teeth.

"Your going to get sick, its freezing outside!" I said, concerned. I looked at his skinny chest and stomach. He was very pale, almost as pale as us. And skinny. He looked like someone had locked him away and forgotten to feed him. I also noticed all the scars he had, and the smell of fresh blood in the air.

"I'm…okay." He grunted out. Emmett shook his head, and grabbed the stone from him. Edwards arms fell down at his sides, useless.

"What happened to you?" Alice whispered, horrified. She surprised me when she grabbed his waist and spun him around. I had to suppress my own gasp at the sight. It wasn't hard to figure out what had hit him, and what had sliced his skin. Huge bloody belt buckle marks were all over his back.

He ripped himself away from Alice and spun around again.

"Nothing, I just fell through a glass table." He lied. I raised my eyebrows at him, silently asking if he thought I was stupid. The door opened behind him, and a red faced Henry Masen came out, his cane in one hand and the umbrella in the other.

"Boy, did I say you could put that stone down?! Pick it back up, now!" Henry roared at him. Edward got a frightened look on his face, and ripped the stone out of Emmett's hand. His arms shot up in the air, the stone high above his head. All we could do was stare in shock at the man. I mean, I knew he was bad, but that was just sick.

"Ah, I see you have met the Cullen's. Bella, Emmett, Alice." He nodded to us politely, but it wasn't hard to notice the hostility in his voice, and the way he held himself.

"Yes Sir." Edward gasped out.

"Sir, don't you think Edward should be allowed to go back inside, its freezing, he could-" I started, concerned. It was a wonder that he wasn't sick already. Edward shot me an angry look, which I normally would of found comical, because his glasses made his eyes look huge and round, but there was nothing funny about the situation.

"Ah, Bella. I don't expect you to understand this. He was disobedient, and this is his punishment. Besides, we are working on his building, he's far to skinny. He should look more like you Emmett. See that, boy, that's how a soldier should look like." Henry mocked him, gesturing with his hand to Emmett. I felt my anger coming, and tried to calm myself. I was rarely angry, and this was not the place to be angry at right now.

Emmett, and Alice were angry already. But it was no problem for them. I always tended to lose control over my powers when my anger exploded. I heard Jasper and Rosalie come out of the car. Jasper laid a hand on my shoulder once they reached us. I would have to thank him later.

"And what did he do?" Emmett almost snarled, glaring down at Henry. He was tall, the same height as Edward, but Emmett was still taller then the both of them.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Cullen. Say hello to your father for me." He dismissed us. Emmett was about to protest, but stopped when Edward lost the stone and it fell on his head with a loud thump. He fell to his knees, clutching his head. I was about to help him, but Jasper tightened his hold on me.

"Ow." He muttered, rubbing his head one last time before his arms fell to his sides. Jasper was rubbing his own arm, frowning in pain.

"Get up." Henry demanded. Edward stood up as quickly as possible, standing straight. He was still breathing heavily though, and his arms were shaking.

"Get inside. Training room. Now." He barked at his son.

"Yes sir." Edward answered clearly, turned around stiffly and walked back into the house. I heard his footsteps stop in one of the rooms, and them it was only his breathing and heartbeat.

"You can't treat your own son like that!" Emmett was yelling when I snapped out of it. Henry had lost his cool, and was red in the face from anger.

"He is _my_ son, and _I_ will deicide his punishments. Leave, before I call your father. And stay away from the boy!" Henry barked, as he turned around and walked back to his mansion. It wasn't as big as ours, but it was still huge. I noticed that he never said Edwards name, no matter what.

"What the hell do you think your doing?!" We heard Henry scream at Edward when he thought we couldn't hear him anymore. We heard the belt buckle hitting him again and again, and I was surprised that he didn't scream in pain.

"Answer me you pathetic little scum bag!" He yelled, and this time he hit him with something else.

We piled into the car in silence, trying to ignore all the noises we were hearing from the house. I started up the car and we continued to drive home.

"Poor Edward…"Alice said, breaking the silence. She was shaking her head, but not in disbelief. We had seen far to many horrible things, so we knew that everything was possible.

I felt my anger boil again, and I had to slam on the breaks when a thick tree branch fell right in front of the car. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back.

"Maybe I should run home instead." I suggested.

"Sure." Jasper whispered. Emmett was just sitting there, shaking his head. I got out of the car and lifted the branch up, taking it with me as I started running. I threw it away from me as I ran.

I left a trail of red, blue, yellow, violet and pink flowers from where I ran. Yes, that was my power. I could make flowers grow faster then you could blink, I could shrink threes, or make them taller, I could attach a human with poison ivy, or I could make a meat eating plant with a snap of my fingers.

Of course, I never used my powers for hunting humans, like I was suppose to do with them. It was more for show now, I guess.

I didn't know where I was running, but I knew that it was the opposite way from home. I didn't think about that, as I stopped at the edge of a house. Edwards house.

Why was I so drawn to him? Why was I defending him? And why did I feel so angry when I saw what his father was doing to him? It made no sense. I had seen so many horrible things in my life, and I didn't even lift an eyebrow at that. So why was this bothering me so much?

"You call that lifting?! Ten more!" I could here Henry yelling. I could see them too, through the window.

Edward was lifting weights. He was panting and sweating, and glaring down at the floor.

"Lift your head up boy!" Henry yelled again, smacking the cane into the back of his head.

"Dear, why don't we go home?" I heard Esme's kind voice whisper behind me. I turned around slowly and nodded. She was drenched from head to toe, but the kind smile was still there.

"I wish I could do something. I feel so useless." I said, referring to Edward, who was being kicked in the stomach over and over again behind me.

"I know what you mean, and I whish I could do something to. That _monster_…"Esme mumbled to herself, glaring at the house.

"There might be something we could do…" Esme said suddenly. My head snapped up in her direction. She gave me a funny look.

"Bella, I am going to tell you when we get home, but answer me this first. Why do you care? You have never shown an interest in a human before. Its not that I'm not happy that you care, and doing something about it, its just…I don't understand the sudden interest." Esme said softly. I was shaking my head long before she finished.

"I don't know…It just makes me furious to see him suffer like that, not being able to do anything back." I said with a shrug. She nodded her head in understanding.

"Come on, lets leave." She said, beckoning me with her hand. I nodded and started running. I made the trail of flowers disappear. I couldn't let anyone find them. Besides, they would make the connection with our garden. It was the best one in Forks. Not that anyone else knew that, because other then the mail man, no one knew where our house was. It wasn't that we tried to keep it a secret, but people usually avoided us, so they never got the chance to know ether.

Soon, we were inside our own house, sitting in the living room with the rest of our family.

"Why are you all making such a big deal about this? He is _just_ a human!" Rosalie said with a huff.

"Rosalie, shut up! For once in your life, the attention isn't on you. Deal with it and be quiet. You might not care about anyone else but yourself, but the rest of us do." I snarled at her. The wooden floor started making noises in protest, and all the flowers in the house exploded out of their pots. Jasper laid a calming hand on my shoulder.

"Control yourself, Bella." Carlisle said calmly, and a little stunned. I never yelled at anyone. It just wasn't like me. Rosalie and I were never on good terms, but we were civil. That was more then anyone could ask for. Rosalie herself was to stunned to say anything back to me.

"Bella, you have no right to talk to Rose like that." Emmett yelled, standing up. I shrugged Jaspers hand of off me, and stood up, glaring at him.

"She's the one being self centered here. You saw what happened to him, how he was treated. And its not like I asked her to be here ether. If you don't want to help, then go upstairs and look at yourself in the mirror or something!" I yelled the last part at Rosalie. Emmett looked torn. He knew I was right, and that Rosalie was a pain in the ass. She only thought about herself, and couldn't care less about what happened to Edward. But on the other hand, Rosalie was his wife, and he had to stick up for her.

"Bella, stop yelling at her. Rosalie, if you don't want to help, that's fine, but…just don't try to stop me from helping, because I will." Emmett said, sitting down. Rosalie stared at him open mouthed in shock, along with the rest of us. Well, everyone except me. I was trying to control my temper.

The whole wall that was made of glass was now covered in poison ivy, Roses and Lily's. They were growing quickly, trying to get into the house. To get to me.

"Fine." Rosalie hissed angrily as she got up. She bumped into me with her shoulder on her way upstairs.

"Bella dear, sit down, and try to control yourself." Esme said a little sharply. I nodded and sank down gracefully.

"You'll have to apologize to her later, Bella." Carlisle said. My head snapped in his direction.

"You can't be serious." I said incredulously. He stared at me calmly.

"She can decide to do whatever she wants. We can't make her do something she doesn't care about. And you had no right to yell at her, even if I do agree with you." Carlisle said with a sight. He hated it when we were arguing. Which was a lot. The strange thing was, Rosalie only had a problem with me, and no one else. She was nice and pleasant to everyone else in the family. A little vain, yes, but still nice.

"Fine." I said with a huff, and a little impatiently. I was over her now. I wanted to talk about Edward. Not Rosalie and her stuck up self.

"I can only hear the plan, and then I have to go upstairs." Emmett said a little urgently, glancing up every few seconds. Alice and Jasper were surprisingly quiet through all of this, staring at each other.

"Okay, I was thinking, if you guys can get him to faint or something, then you have to take him to the hospital. Carlisle can examine him, find all the wounds and tell the police." Esme said seriously. There was a silence.

"So you want us to knock the kid out? Hit him in the head or something?" Emmett asked, his eyes wide. Alice rolled her eyes, and spoke up for the first time.

"Obviously not. Bella can just mix up something and put it in his food." Jasper gave her an amused look, and started playing with a lock of her hair. I looked away, feeling like I was intruding. Emmett nodded his head.

"I'll ask him to sit with us again." I had never seen him take anything quite so seriously. He glanced up one more time, anxious to get up to Rosalie. I sighted and produced a blood red Rose. Her favorite. I handed it to Emmett.

"Go up to her, we'll fill you in later." I said quietly. He gave me a grateful smile and dashed upstairs.

"He won't sit with us." Alice said with a frown. I frowned too.

"He's mad at us now. We made everything worse for him by interfering." Alice said with a sight, laying her head on Jaspers shoulder.

"Maybe you can get closer to him, Bella." Esme suggested. I nodded my head absently. I got the wall of flowers and plants to shrink back to their normal size.

"Bella, I don't mind that your helping him. I'm actually pleasantly surprised, but remember, you can't get to close with him. Once we've got him out of there, you can't talk to him again. Its to risky." Carlisle said softly. I was more upset about what he said then I thought I would.

"I know…" I whispered sadly. Jasper gave me a funny look, but didn't say anything. I was thankful for that, but I knew we would talk about it later.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens then." Esme said, trying to brighten the mood. I stood up numbly and walked up to my room. I knew I was concerning the others by the way I acted. I was usually all smiles, but I couldn't even find it in me to force out a fake one.

From the noises coming from Rosalie and Emmett's room, I knew they were okay again. I sped up, disgusted.

I opened the door to my room and stepped inside. The only thing in my room was a huge, king sized bed. The floor was covered in grass, and the walls was covered in poison ivy. I even had a thick branch sticking out of my wall. There were tropical plants all over the room, a bush, and a little apple tree. It was like stepping into a tropical jungle.

I threw myself on the bed, and produced a light blue little flower in my hand. Usually, I could make plants live for years without water, soil or sun. They lived off me, and I wasn't effected by it at all. But this time, the blue little flower died in under five minuets. I noticed that every plant, flower, and even the tree looked sick.

Why was I so sad? I hardly talked to the boy. That was what he was. A very unfortunate human boy. I only wanted to help him, I told myself, but even I knew that wasn't true. There was a knock on my door. I flicked my wrist lazily, not even bothering to lift my head, and the poison ivy twisted around the doorknob, opening it for me.

Jasper walked in, and looked at my room in shock. The door closed behind him again as he walked further into my room, stepping over a patch off blue berry. He sat down on my bed, facing away from me.

"Bella, why are you so sad?" He asked me quietly after a few minuets of silence. He picked up a dead tulip, and twirled it in his fingers.

"Your never sad. Its just not you." He said absently, playing with the flower that was falling apart.

"I don't know…I just got really angry when I saw what happened to him, what's still happening to him. I don't get it, I only said a few words to him…" I whispered quietly. My most tropical flowers were now brown, and dead. And the once lushes greed grass had taken an unhealthy brownish color.

"And then you got sad when Carlisle told you that you couldn't talk to him again. Don't even try to deny it, because I felt what you felt. There's no point in lying." He said, holding one hand up to silence my protests.

"I don't know why I feel like this Jasper. I'll bet Rosalie will get a kick out of it." I muttered miserably. I wrinkled my nose in discomfort, and waived my hands at the smelly apples. They disappeared without trace. Jasper chuckled at me, and threw the flower on the floor.

"Maybe you just miss being human? I know that you love all of us very much, but sometimes that just isn't enough…I'm just speculating, of course, but maybe the reason your so sad is because you can't be friends with Edward. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't, because of what we are." Jasper said carefully. I looked back at him, appalled.

"You think I'm sick of you guys?!" I yelled, sitting up. Jasper shook his head quickly.

"Not sick of us. I mean being sick of being a Vampire. I know you, Bella, and you're a people person. You like people, and it kills you not to have any other friends then us." Jasper said with a small smile.

"But why would I be so sad about that?" It didn't really make sense to me.

"Because Carlisle just confirmed it by making you stay away from Edward. I don't know why you reacted so strongly though. I can only feel your emotions, not the reason behind them." Jasper said lightly.

"Edward is…interesting. He's fascinating, even though I didn't really talk to him. He isn't like all the other humans, you know? He even smelled better then the rest of them. Not much, mind you, but still a little sweeter." I said with a little sight. I was surprised when a little bush with violent red flowers sprang to life in the corner of the wall.

"Maybe you like him more then you think." Jasper teased. My eyes snapped to his face.

"Really funny, Jasper." I scoffed, annoyed. It was like talking to a ten year old. You couldn't even say one word about the opposite sex without being accused of liking them.

"Anyway, try to cheer up, okay? Everyone is really worried about you, and Esme is a little mad." He confessed to me. I gasped and sat up straighter.

"What did I do?!" I whispered, horrified. Esme was never angry with me. Almost. Okay, she was angry with me a lot. But never mad. I was only a little overly enthusiastic sometimes, and lost control of my powers completely. Esme wasn't all that happy with me when she came home and found a forest in her living room.

"Your killing all of her plants. So you really have to lighten up." Jasper said, nudging me. I tried to smile at him, but he could tell I was faking it.

"How can I be happy when I know that Edward is miserable?" Jasper rolled his eyes and stood up abruptly.

"Bella, your acting stupid. You just met the kid, okay? You only said a few words to him today. And I know that its horrible that he's father is beating him, and that he's skinny, and that he looks like a dork. Don't look at me like that, its true! Anyway, I know that all of that is awful, but you can't be sad about that. The rest of the world is miserable Bella! People are shooting each other, women and children are being raped every minuet. There is people being tortured, wars raging. Everyone is miserable! So if your going to get sad about one person that you don't even know being abused, then you might as well cry over all the other horrible things happening in the world." Jasper lectured me. I looked up at him with wide eyes.

"That's your way of cheering people up?" I asked him incredulous. To be an empath, he really was bad with people. He rolled his eyes, exasperated with me.

"I was trying to make a point." He crossed his arms over his chest, and sat down on my thinking branch.

"I can't help what I feel. And we established that I was sad because I couldn't have any more friends, not because of Edward. Emmett and Alice were angry too, you know." I reminded him.

"Yes, I know they were. But Emmett isn't thinking about it at the moment, and Alice knows that it wont help anyone if she's angry, so she's not. She's sad about it, yes, but she isn't moping around like you. We'll help him, okay? Everything will be alright in the end, you'll see." Jasper said brightly. I smiled at him, a real smile this time.

I knew I couldn't help him right now. And it didn't help anyone when I was sad and angry. But seeing him beaten up on the floor like that was sadder then watching a puppy being run over by a car. It was frustrating that it effected me this much.

"Come on, lets go to Alice's room. She wants to help you make the sleepy stuff." Jasper said with a chuckle. "Her words, not mine."

I nodded my head and looked back at my room. I could fix everything later. Right now, I wanted to spend some time with my family.

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Hey everyone! This is my longest chapter I've ever writen, and I personally liked it very much. What's your apinion on Bella's power? I think its pretty neet )

Review!


	3. Chapter 3

--Edward--

I walked up the stairs slowly that night. Never in my entire life had I been beaten like that. My whole body was full of bruises, cuts and marks. And I had trouble breathing. I couldn't go to the Dr. though, that would only be disastrous.

Sometimes, I didn't know why I defended my parents, why I didn't just run away. I was 18! For crying out loud, I was a legal adult, I could do whatever I wanted.

But then again, I needed my education too, or else I wouldn't get very far. Or I could beg on the streets…be a musician…its not like I was use to a comfortable life, and humans easily adapted to new changes. I could go to New York, or Florida.

I walked into my bathroom and took off my clothes. I was sweating. A lot. And my body was uglier then ever. Not that it mattered. I turned away, disgusted, and hopped into the shower. I hissed in pain when the water hit my sore back, making it sting even worse. All my muscles screamed in protest when I lifted my arms to wash my hair. I just clenched my teeth and dealt with it.

I walked back into my room when I was done, only wearing a pair of boxers. I tried to get the T-shirt over my head, but I couldn't. It just hurt to much. I stopped dead when I saw who was standing in the doorway. I straightened up as much as possible for me at the moment. I was dead tired and only wanted to sleep. But no, the guy had to torture me just a _little_ bit extra.

"Boy, tomorrow, I don't want to see you slacking off. You did terrible today. Matilda brought you some clothes. I'll burn yours tomorrow." He said coldly. He threw a big black bag on the floor.

"Thank you sir." I answered him. He nodded satisfied, and turned around again.

"Sleep boy, you'll need it." He said as the door slammed behind him. I ran over to the bag glanced inside. Everything was green. And the pants were army pants, with camouflage marks on them and everything. There was a brown belt, a pair of combat boots, and green T-shirts in it too. No sweaters. This would be cold. I took out the boots, pants and a plain green T-shirt, folded them and laid them on the chair.

I groaned loudly when I remembered another thing. Homework. I hadn't had the time to do it today. I huffed, irritated. What the hell did I do to deserve all of this crap? I thought to myself angrily. I started on them right away.

Two hours later, I was finally done, and went to bed. It was one in the morning, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I collapsed down on it, not even bothering to take the covers over me. They would only hurt anyway.

It only felt like seconds before my alarm clock shrieked into my ear. Right then and there I envied everyone else more then ever. They could have five more minuets if they wanted. But when my clock said get up. It meant get up.

Stiffly, I stood up. My whole body screamed in protest, but I didn't have a choice. Slowly I dressed, and put my glasses on. I walked into the bathroom and looked around carefully. If everything was in order, then I could avoid being beaten.

I didn't look like such a nerd anymore, but I didn't exactly look good ether. I was way to skinny for my own good, and my arms were full of cuts and bruises. I noticed that my face was fine though. I didn't even bother with my hair, it would stick straight up no matter what I did to it.

"Permission to ask question, Sir?" I asked hesitantly when I sat down at the kitchen table. He threw me a sharp look.

"Permission granted. Two minuets."

"I just noticed that there weren't any sweaters in the bag, Sir." I said quietly. He folded the newspaper and looked at me for a long time.

"Its part of the training. You need to toughen up a bit. Your acting like a sissy little school girl. Now, I know your skinny, but you've got broad shoulders, and that's good, you just need to fill them up with muscle. Now eat up, you'll need it." He answered me, and picked up the newspaper again.

I was more hungry then I realized, and ate up everything. Henry even demanded that I ate more. Which I didn't protest against, I was more hungry then I'd ever been.

"Leave now, boy, or you'll be late for school." Henry said, dismissing me.

"Yes sir." I said loud and clear as I stood up and walked outside. Matilda had packed my bag in my car, so I didn't need to think about that when I drove to school. I parked my car as far away from the blue Volvo as possible. I didn't want to speak with them. They'd made everything worse yesterday, and if they'd minded their own business, then my punishment wouldn't of been so bad.

"Hey Edward. Nice outfit." Emmett commented as he walked up besides me. I stopped walking and turned to him with a glare.

"I don't want anything to do with you or your family, so leave me alone." I said to his stunned face. I continued to walk towards the school, ignoring all the whispering and stunned face's of the other kids. The Cullen's could be the most gorgeous people on the planet, and I couldn't care less. It was only looks.

"Hey, wait up!" Emmett yelled after me as he jogged to keep up with my tempo.

"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" I said through clenched teeth. It was very cold to only walk around in a T-shirt in the beginning of January. Emmett frowned slightly, but continued to walk with me.

"Well I _was_ going to ask you to eat lunch with me and my family…" He trailed off. I gave him a _'are you stupid?'_ look.

"No." I said, and tried to walk faster. It hurt, so I slowed down again.

"Edward, Emmett, wait for me!" A heavenly voice yelled behind us. I saw Bella come running towards us gracefully, her books in her hands. Everyone parted like she was Moses or something. I didn't really want to keep on walking, but I wasn't allowed to speak with them ether, so I just turned back around and walked away.

"Hey Edward, are you okay?" Bella asked me sweetly. I was about to snap at her and tell her off, but the words stuck in my throat when I looked down at her. She was giving me a brilliant smile, her eyes wide and shining. Her chocolate brown hair framed her heart shaped face, making her look even more angelic.

"I-I…I fine. I mean I'm fine." I stuttered out, blushing. She nodded her head, a small smile still playing on her big red plump lips. What the hell was I thinking?! She was one of the people who got me beaten up yesterday! _But not intentionally, she was only trying to help you,_ a little voice in the back of my head whispered.

"That's good. I was wondering if you wanted to sit with me and my family today at Lunch? We're really sorry about yesterday, we were only trying to help you. I guess we didn't do much good, did we?" It was a rhetorical question, so I didn't answer her.

"I can't." I told her flatly, shaking my head a few times. Talking to her was like being sedated.

"Are you sitting with someone else?" She teased me lightly, nudging my arm with hers. It was cold, and hard, but my skin still burned pleasantly.

"No, I'm not having lunch today. Bella I really need to go, and you need to stop talking to me." I said sadly. I couldn't even pretend to be mad at her. It was like asking me to lift a mountain. She gave me one of the saddest looks in history, so I closed my eyes and walked away from her.

I felt the presence of someone behind me, and saw that it was Emmett. He gave me an innocent smile and took his seat. Wisely, I sat at the other side of the room, as far away from him as possible. He just chuckled and shook his head, muttering to himself. I paid attention to the class, and took notes.

The rest of the day was the same. Alice, Bella and Emmett had made it their mission to follow me around. I told them to leave me alone, but they wouldn't listen. So before any of them knew where I went, I ran to the bathroom, right before lunch. They would go and eat, and I could sit and wait.

"Well Masen, do you have my money today?" This could _not_ be happening! I turned around and there was Newton, with four other guys behind him. They all smirked when they saw me, some even cracked they're knuckles.

"No." I answered him. He smirked, and gave a cheesy smile to his friends.

"Guess we'll have to give you a lesson then. Guys." Newton said, snapping his fingers. Two of them ran forwards and grabbed both of my arms, holding me in place. I tried to get away from them, but my body was in too much pain from being beaten up and exercising the whole day before, I just didn't have it in me.

Newton punched me right in the jaw, hard. He grabbed my shoulders and lifted me right off the floor, and threw me into the door. The door wasn't locked in the first place, so it banged open loudly, and I was sent flying through it, landing on my back into the hall.

There was a lot of giggling and laughter around me, and I opened my eyes to see that no one had gone to the cafeteria yet. Everyone were still mingling around in the hallways, talking and now laughing. At me.

I rubbed my jaw with one hand, and got off the floor. Someone threw my backpack at me, and I caught in just in time. I walked through all the laughing people and sat down right outside of the school, my back leaning on the wall. I laid my head back too and closed my eyes, taking off my glasses at the same time.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you." A quiet musical voice said beside me. I jumped and looked down, seeing a white blur with brown hair sitting beside me. I recognized the voice though, and knew that it was Bella Cullen. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

"Haven't I told you guys to leave me alone?" It was much easier to talk to her when I was almost blind. Even if I did look into her face, I would only see her blur.

"You have, many times actually." She said lightly. I closed my eyes briefly before opening them again.

"Then why won't you listen? There is no reason for you guys to even _want_ to talk to me anymore. I've been nothing but mean to you guys all day." I said, both in exasperation and curiosity.

"I wanted to see if you were okay, and I wanted to talk to you." Bella said honestly. I was surprised.

"Why would you want to talk to _me_?" I asked, astonished. Off all the people in the school to talk to, she wanted to talk to me? I felt surprisingly happy. Probably more happy then I've ever felt. Which wasn't hard, since I never smiled over anything. Even as a little kid, I never smiled. She gave a giggle which left me in a daze. It sounded more like music then laughter.

"Isn't that what people do when they find someone interesting?" She stopped talking abruptly there, like she'd said to much.

"I'm sorry, I know I should leave you alone, since you asked us to so many times. I whish I could be your friend though, but I can't. Your dad will probably be angry if he finds out that we talked anyway, so I suppose its for the best." Bella said sadly. I was frowning too, and the little bit of happiness I felt a few minuets ago was squashed.

"Yeah, it probably is." I said softly, closing my eyes again.

"Why don't you leave?" Bella asked suddenly. I didn't even bother to open my eyes. I wouldn't be able to see her anyway, so what was the point?

"Leave?" I asked her.

"Yeah, leave. Lets be honest here, I know you didn't get those cuts on your back from falling through a table. I saw the belt buckle on you skin, Edward, so don't even try to deny it. Why do you put up with it?" She asked me, curiously. I felt my face go pail. She couldn't know. How did she know?! She only saw my back up close for a few seconds, and it was raining!

"I don't know what your talking about." I said a little coldly.

"Please don't insult my intelligence." She answered with a scoff. I found myself getting angry to, but not at her. I was the one who messed up. I was the one who started talking to Emmett, when I knew I shouldn't. Maybe if I hadn't eaten lunch with them the day before, then maybe they would've just continued to drive home.

"I'm not. You just got it wrong. Look at me Bella, I'm a wimp, a dork, geek, nerd you name it. I don't have any muscle at all, and its not healthy. I was just training yesterday, and Henry was helping me." I knew it was a lame excuse, but it was all I had.

"Fine, be that way then. I don't think your all that bad though, but I guess it doesn't matter, since we can't speak to each other anyway. Bye Edward." Bella said in an exasperated voice. She wasn't angry with me for lying to her, and I felt really stupid for doing it. But I wasn't about to tell her anything. I didn't even know the girl.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Put this on your cuts each night, it'll help a lot." Bella said, throwing a white bottle over to me. She started walking away, so I hastily put my glasses back on.

"What is it?" I called after her. She stopped, and glanced at me over her shoulder.

"Aloe Vera. Its from a healing plant." She said, and started walking again.

"Bella?" I called after her again when she had her hand on the door. She lifted her head and looked at me with her beautiful topaz eyes.

"Thanks." I said, giving her a hesitant smile. She gave me a huge smile in return. I felt oddly giddy after I saw her smile, which surprised me. I was having one of the shittiest days, and one smile from her made it seem better.

I scoffed at myself. It didn't matter how pretty she was-it was her, that made me happy. Her actions, her words and what she did. She was so kind, smart, sweet and I was…mean. weird, funny looking, ugly on the inside and the outside. She was way out of my league. Heck I was so low I don't even think I was in a league. No, she was too good to be true.

The bell rang, and I stood up with my bag on my shoulder. When I walked into the school, people started cracking up, pointing and laughing. Someone even went as far as to throw a book at me, which made everyone laugh even more.

"Loser." One of the girls spat at me when I walked past them. I just stared at my feet and continued to walk. Someone stuck their leg out and tripped me, sending me sprawled over the floor, landing on my stomach. Which sent the whole hall into hysterics. I sighted and started getting up from the floor, collecting the books that fell out of my bag.

"Okay, okay, break it up, and get to class, there is nothing to see here." One of the teachers said as he walked through the hall. I thanked the gods for sending him. That was just embarrassing.

"You okay, kid?" He asked as I stood up. I nodded my head, not looking up. I started walking away from him. I didn't want to have a heart to heart with the teacher, I just wanted to get to class.

So before he could say anything, I walked into the next hallway, away from him. I walked past Rosalie, who was putting some books in her locker. She just stared at me with a expressionless face. It wasn't nice, but it wasn't mean.

The rest of the day was much like yesterday. Horrible. At least the Cullen's stopped bugging me. I hated that I couldn't be friends with them, even if I didn't fit in. But like Bella said, I knew it was for the best.

Throughout the day, I thought about Bella's question. Why didn't I run away? Why did I bother to put up with all of Henry's crap? At the end of the day, I still couldn't give myself an answer.

I hurriedly put the radio on as I sat in my car. I was desperate for some kind of relaxation. It was some woman singing, but I didn't really care what sort of music it was. I just needed to relax. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on the steering wheel, finally getting some peace. Sighting, I started the engine, and I drove out of the parking lot.

I was sad when I had to cut the engine and walk inside. I went straight to the training room, to find my father already there.

"Get to work, boy." He said, pointing to the weights.

"Yes sir." I went over and laid down on the bench, and started lifting. They weren't that heavy, thank god.

"What happened to your chin, boy?" He demanded, standing over me.

"Mike Newton punched me sir." I answered him as I lifted the weights up. I concentrated on breathing in and out.

"Well, did you hit him back?" He asked impatiently.

"No sir." I answered.

"Why not?!" He yelled, outraged.

"It was five against one, sir." He glared down at me and huffed angrily. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Newton! You get that son of yours to stay away from my boy, you hear me?! He is ruining my training program and I wont have it! If you don't do something about that fat lump of a boy, I'll sue you!" Henry yelled into the phone. He snapped it shut, not waiting for a reply.

"What are you staring at, start lifting, you aren't even sweating!" He barked at me, spit flying everywhere. I stared up at the sealing instead, trying to focus on something else. My arms were already hurting, and I hadn't even been going at it for more then half an hour.

Another long day then, I thought to myself.

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Just so you guys know, Edward isn't all that ugly. That's just how he sees himself. Oh, I have posted a picture of Edward's glasses in my profile. No Flames please, but lots of reviews :)


	4. Chapter 4

I've got more pictures in my profile!

--Edward--

The rest of the week was pretty much the same. I woke up, got to school, came home and started training. When I was done training, I would do homework and collapse on my bed. I had been very careful with what I said and what I did around Henry. Its not like I wanted to be beaten. I managed that for about two days until Friday. I had shaved my face in my bathroom like I do every morning, and I had wiped of the sink like I do every morning. Only this time, I had forgotten a little cream at the bottom of the sink. So yeah, it was the back to the belt again after that.

"Boy, get down here, _now_!" Henry yelled up the stairs. I stood up from my chair and walked down quickly. I didn't want to get reprimanded for being to slow.

"Yes sir?"

"Come, your going out to run today." Henry said, throwing me a pair of running shoos. Since the military clothes were the only clothes I owned now, I didn't have to change. I guess that was part of his plan.

He stalked out of the house and got into his golf car. Why he had one, I would never understand. This was Forks, the rainiest place on earth. When could you possibly play golf here? I didn't voice this though, instead I took the shoes on quickly and stood out on the porch, waiting for my next instructions.

"What are you waiting for, start running!" He roared as he started up the engine. I started running down by the road, where Bella and her family had stopped on Monday to yell at my dad.

I was worried about her telling anyone else. I think her family knew about it, but I was scared that she would tell the rest of the school. I felt a pang when I realized I hadn't talked to her since Tuesday. Alice had tried to get me to eat with them a few more times, but she gave up quickly.

Its funny, how you ask someone to leave you alone, and when they finally do, you whished that they would turn their heads in your direction again. I knew I could never be friends with them, not really anyway. Henry would never allow it, and they would probably find out that I wasn't such an interesting person, if they started to get to know me.

"You call that _running_? I've seen five year old kids run faster then that you scum bag, come on, pick up the pace!" Henry yelled as he drove beside me. I breathed out evenly as I started running faster. I was still weak, and my muscles weren't any bigger yet, but I could do more stuff now before I got tired. I don't think Henry cared about that though, he only wanted me to look better so I wouldn't be such an embarrassment for him.

"Boy, stop running!" He yelled. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at him expectantly. He threw me a water bottle and told me to take five. I took it gratefully.

"Ah, Dr. Cullen. How are you?" Henry asked, and I could hear the fake smile in his voice. I turned back around and saw a black Mercedes parked beside Henry's golf car. He was definitely a Cullen alright. The same pale skin, Topaz eyes and too good looking to be real. There was something strange going on about them, and it surprised me that no one else had noticed it.

How can five, probably six with the wife but I've never met her so I'm not certain, adopted people, who come from totally different places, look so much a like, and be so beautiful.

I had heard that Dr. Cullen was very good at his job. Maybe he couldn't handle having ugly children, so he started doing facials on them and gave them beauty shots or something? And when it worked on them, he did it to himself as well. He did look rather young to have five adopted children. Didn't normal twenty six year old people party and have fun?

"Ah yes, this is my boy right here. Come." Was all Henry said to me. I walked over to the car. The window was rolled down, and Dr. Cullen was leaning out of it.

"Its nice to meet you. My name is Carlisle Cullen, I think you've met my children?" He said lightly. I felt Henry stiffen beside me.

"Its nice to meet you, sir. Edward Masen." I didn't offer him my hand, and he didn't offer his.

"About those children of yours, Carlisle, tell them to stay away from…my son." Henry said sternly. Carlisle's eyebrows shot up, and he looked very surprised. He opened the car door and stepped outside, closing the door behind him. I took one step back, which was law. When grownups are speaking, you step back one step. Two steps if your dismissed.

"Excuse me? My children have been nothing but nice to Edward. Why should they stay away from him?" Carlisle asked a little sharply, but it wasn't mean. He probably thought I had told Henry that they were mean to me or something. Great, another person who hates me. Bella's question rang in my mind; _Why don't you just leave?_

That was five days ago, and I still couldn't give myself a satisfying answer.

"Their meddling up in other people's business. They have no right to come over to my house and tell me how I should punish my own child." Henry thundered. He was use to people being scared of him, and doing as he said. So when someone, like the Cullen's, came around and didn't show any fear at all, his temper got the better of him quickly. I really hoped that Bella hadn't told Carlisle and her mother.

"I do think they have a right to voice their opinion on the matter when said punishments are on the border of being abuse. It's illegal, and they have every right to try and stop it." Apparently she had. I wanted to be angry at her. I honestly tried. How dare she say anything about me to her parents, of all people, when she didn't have anything to do with it? _There you go again, singling Bella out, _a little voice in the back of my head said. I wanted to deny it, and say that I thought about the other Cullen's just as much, but I knew it wasn't true.

Henry's face had turned red, and he was glaring at Carlisle with almost as much hatred as he showed to me. Almost. He hated me more then anything, and nothing could top me on his list.

"How _dare_ you?! Are you suggesting that I abuse my own boy?!" He thundered, perplexed. Carlisle didn't even seemed faced. He leaned back on his sleek Mercedes and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Mr. Masen I am a Doctor, and I know how wounds look like and the cause of the wound. Look at Edward's left shoulder, see that scar there, that's after a chain. The one at the side of his neck is after a shoe. Mr. Masen you could tell me all the lies in the world, but I would still know what's going on at your house." Carlisle said smoothly. I felt all the blood in my face leave me, and I stiffened up more then Henry had earlier.

He was right of course. The chain mark on my arm was a goodbye present from my mother right before she took her fatal plain ride. And the shoe mark was from Henry right after Bell- _The Cullen_ children had left that they. I had to remind myself that there was more then just her.

"What are you talking about? My boy is very clumsy, he falls into things all the time. Right boy?" Henry asked sharply, daring me to say anything else. I gave a quiet sigh, too quiet for Henry to hear.

"Yes, Sir." I said in a sort of defeated voice, but it didn't look like Henry picked up on it. He nodded, satisfied.

"Look, my children only wants to be friends with him, is that so wrong, to let your child have someone to talk to at school?" Carlisle asked in a softer tone. I dared to sneak a peak at them. I was suppose to look at the ground, but I let my eyes wander over to them. They were both standing in the same position.

"Why the hell would they want to be friends with him?" Henry asked sourly, with a shocked tone in his voice. I almost shook my head at him. I was standing almost two feet away from them, I could even hear everything they said! Its not like Henry didn't know that.

"Mr. Masen please…" Carlisle said, appalled.

"Dr. Cullen I've had enough of this. He is my son, and my son alone. I will decide his punishments, and I will decide who he associates with. And your children does not go into that category. I can see where they get they're behavior from now." Henry said snobbishly. Carlisle only raised his eyebrows and unlocked his arms from their position. For one second I was happily thinking that he would punch Henry in the face, but I was disappointed.

"It was nice meeting you, Edward. I hope we meet again soon." Carlisle said with a pleasant smile. I gave a small one back, and looked down at the ground. It would never happen, and I knew that. Henry wouldn't send me to the hospital, and that was the only way I'd be able to see him again.

"What are you standing around for, get back to work!" Henry barked at me, his face still red. I didn't bother answering him, instead I just started running down the lane where Dr. Cullen's car had disappeared. It didn't shock me that Carlisle wouldn't report it to the police. Everyone in Forks knew that Henry owned the police station.

"Come on, _faster_!" He yelled, and I expected him to take out a whip soon.

Three hours later and we were back from my run. I could take five and something to drink, Henry said. He walked into his office and I walked into the kitchen.

Matilda was standing near the stove, cooking something delicious like usual.

"Good morning." She said pleasantly when she saw me, and you could see the wrinkles around her eyes more clearly. She bushed some of her gray hair out of her face, and rested the other one on her wide hip. She was a pleasant woman, but I couldn't find it in me to really like her.

She was like the rest of the maids. Too concerned about earning money to care about their boss beating up their child. It wasn't like Matilda didn't know about it, because she did. She had even stood and dusted some of the weights yesterday while Henry had stood and beaten me with the belt.

"How was your run?" She asked, trying to make conversation. I took a sip of the power drink. I would much rather have water, but I wasn't allowed that ether.

"Fine." I answered, catching myself right before I shrugged. That was a big no no, even with the maids. Heck the maids had more power over my life then I did, and they only cleaned and cooked.

"Your father is in the office, doing some paperwork right now." She stated. I gave her a strange look. I already knew that. The only way to get into the office was to go through the kitchen, and Henry and I had walked into the kitchen together.

"_Yes_…I know." I answered her, taking another sip. She clucked her tongue disapprovingly, but didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Maybe you should help him." She suggested, her back facing me. I almost chocked at the power drink. What the hell? _Me_, helping _Henry_? Was she insane?

"I don't think he would like that." I said carefully. She got a plait out of the cabinet, and put some cut up apple peaces on it. She turned around and gave it to me.

"Mr. Masen sir, I'm just going to set the windows up a little bit in the kitchen. Now I know you like to keep the office all warm and cozy so I'll just close the doors for a few minuets." Matilda said with her grandmother voice.

"Just keep an eye on that damn boy." He growled back at her, obviously still mad about the Carlisle incident. She nodded and closed the doors. Quickly she sat herself in front of me and dragged the plates of apples into the middle of the table. She took some apple peaces and pushed them into my hands.

"Eat, Edward, your way too thin." She said with a sad smile. I watched her confused as she put all the apple peaces into my hands. I started eating them hesitantly. They were really good, so I ate quickly.

"Edward, I know this is risky, and I might get fired, or even killed by telling you this." Matilda whispered, leaning over the table. I stared into her wide eyes, full of fright. She glanced at the office door, and bit her thin white lip hesitantly.

"Alright, I'll make sure that Mr. Masen sleeps tonight. You need to sneak into his office, and open the second drawer on his desk. In there you'll find some very interesting papers. Only look at them, and write down the important information. You'll find out what that is when you see the document. When you've done that, you put it back in its original place and get straight to bed, understood?" She whispered hurriedly, glancing at the door quickly. I had stopped eating the apples all together.

"Do you understand this, Edward?" She asked me again, her eyes wide and panicked. She grasped my shoulders in her hands and gave me a little shake.

"Why?" I whispered back, just as quietly. I didn't want to get caught, for something that could be avoided. I wasn't even allowed to be inside the office. And what if it was a trick from Henry or something? To test my loyalty to him? I could get into some serious trouble then.

"Because it will get you out of here." She said, and stood up. When she was beside me, she bent down and whispered in my ear.

"Be a smart boy about this, Edward. Get yourself out of here, but before you do that, get the documents. Okay?" I nodded my head quickly and laid all the apple bits down on the plate again, a little puzzled as to why she would put them in my hands in the first place. I looked down at the plate in wonder, and I felt my own eyes widen.

There was a very thick stack of money on the plate, and I wondered how I hadn't seen them before.

"Matilda, I- I can't take your money…" I said, bewildered. She only shook her head and told me to be quiet. I packed them into my pocked, gratefully.

For the rest of the day, I couldn't stop thinking about what Matilda had said. What was with that document? And why was it so important for me to find it?

That night, when I sat in my room, I went over it again. Should I trust Matilda? No. I knew I shouldn't. She could be nice, and she could give me money, but the money I had in my dresser could easily be from Henry. I stood up quickly when I saw that the clock had passed eleven. Matilda said that he would be asleep by ten, so I took a chance for the first time in my life.

I started walking down the stairs quietly, and I thought I heard some clincking of a glass. I stopped and listened, but I couldn't hear anything else, so I continued to walk down the stairs.

Everything was dark, and I was thankful for my glasses for the first time. It made seeing things a whole lot easier. I walked out of the dark living room and into the kitchen.

The door to Henry's office was half open, and I saw the lamp was turned on. I snuck into it quietly, and looked around.

There were animal heads hanging on every wall, a shot gun, and a lot of diplomas, badges and statues Henry had won. His desk was neat and tidy, without a speck of dust on it. And the room was big, and dark.

"Well well. Shouldn't you be sleeping, boy?" I froze when I heard that voice. So Matilda had tricked me then. I turned around slowly, and saw him sitting in the shadows. He was drinking from a glass of brandy, like he always did every night. And he was sitting in a huge brown leather chair, relaxed and looking perfectly at ease.

"Did you know that you can smell it, even taste it, when someone puts something into your drink?" He said, swinging the little bit of brandy around at the bottom of his glass. He looked down at it, as if fascinated. It only scared me more.

"No sir." I cursed myself for letting my voice shake. I was terrified about the consequences of my actions. His eyebrows rose slightly and he nodded his head, not taking his eyes of the glass of brandy.

"Its funny, don't you think, that at the same night I find drugs in my brandy, Matilda is still here, and your out of bed, at the same night? Isn't that a coincidence?" He chuckled lightly, and I wondered for a moment if he was drunk, even though I knew he wasn't.

"Matilda has always been very loyal to me, boy. Always. But she disobeyed me today, as much as you disappoint me by existing." He said, and the light tone he had used earlier was a lot more chilling now then before. He glanced up at me with dark eyes. And again I was shocked at the difference between us. We didn't look alike at all.

"Tell me, boy. Why are you here?" He asked me in a quiet voice.

"Trying to steal this?" He said before I could answer. He held up a yellow document. I could see the name Edward on the front, but he was holding his fingers over the last name.

"It's a rather interesting file. I've had it for years, actually. And not a day goes by without me looking at it. I should of gotten rid of Matilda when I saw the file in her hands. That old hag is far to nosy for her own good. Or, shall we say, _was_?" An evil glint appeared in his eyes, and he smiled a smile the devil would be proud of. I took a cautious step back.

"Was? What did you do to her?" I whispered, horrified. She really had tried to help me then, only Henry was to smart to fool. He leaned back into his chair, and got even more comfortable.

"Oh, she went for a swim, in the lake, with her hands tied behind her back. She told me she wanted to dive, once, when she first started working here. So I tied a rock to the ropes and sent her down there with all the little fishies." He said with a chuckle. I shook my head, horrified.

"How could you do that?" I asked. I was more scared of him now then I'd ever been. I knew he was capable of killing someone. He had been in a war, after all, but that was different. It was kill someone or be killed. Matilda was an old maid who tried to do something good, but ended up dead for it.

He sat the glass of brandy down forcefully, making the high sound ring around the silent room. He stood up and glared at me.

"To teach you a lesson, kid!" He said sharply, taking a step closer.

"You didn't have to kill someone to get your point across, you could of just told me, or- or beaten me up instead! How could you kill an innocent old lady?" I asked him, not caring that it was out of line. I didn't even bother calling him sir.

"Because you were trying to escape, boy, and I'm not letting that happen!" He showed a picture in my face, and I gasped loudly. It was a picture of Matilda, her hands tied together, she was blindfolded and there was a huge wound on her forehead. He had taped her mouth together so she couldn't scream.

"See this? Huh? _This_, is what's going to happen to you if you run away! Do you know who did this? The police chief _himself_. Do you understand that boy? The police wont help you, your precious Cullen's won't help you and Matilda can't help you. I own you, your _mine_! And when I tell you to go to bed, you go to bed. When I say eat, you eat, when I say pee you better pee. You're _my_ property. You can try to run away, but I will catch you. I've got people all over the world who's going to help me catch you if you run away. Do you understand that, boy?" He hissed at me viciously.

I knew my face was white, and that my hands were shaking, but I could do nothing to stop it. I took a step back and looked at him with frightened eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked out loud before I could stop myself. I didn't know what I was saying and I couldn't control my actions. It was like I was in some state of shock, in which I couldn't control my mouth. I could even feel the hysteria start bubbling up inside me. I was living with a sick, twisted murderer.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!" I yelled again loudly, taking a few more steps back. Henry just looked at me with cold gray eyes, but I could see the amusement in them. He was enjoying this, watching me melt down in front of him. I couldn't deal with all of this. I was to young to handle all of this. I was suppose to worry about girls and getting my hands on playboy magazines, not being showed pictures of dead people and telling my psychopathic father, that I'm pretty sure would soon beat the living daylight out of me, that he was crazy.

"I've done _everything_ you ask me to! I haven't complained _once_! You hate me, Henry, you hate me more then you hate anything else! Why do you want me to be here?! Huh?! To train me up? Bullshit! And you, you just killed someone! You just killed Matilda, Henry, you freaking killed someone! Are you _crazy_?!" I was yelling and pacing, carefully keeping a distance to him. Both of my hands were in my hair, gripping on both sides of my head.

"Boy you better watch your mouth!" He threatened, but I wasn't listening.

"You, you think I _want_ this? You think I wanna live like this?! I don't care if I'm strong or weak, okay? I don't _care_! What's the point of me living if, if your just going to control everything?! I don't want any of this! Just let me go, I'll live on the streets, I'll never bother you again, just, just _please_ let me leave!" I begged him pathetically, but not one cell in my body cared.

"No. It doesn't matter what you think. Like I said, I own you." He told me coldly, ignoring my lack of tact for the moment. I could feel frustrated tears well up in my eyes, and I blinked hard, trying to get them away.

"How could you do this to Matilda…to me? What did I ever do to you?" He rolled his eyes and huffed.

"You were born, boy. And this life should be enough of a punishment for that." He answered as he walked over to his desk and sat down on the other side. I stared at him open mouthed.

"I didn't ask to be born! If it was up to me, I would never have been born!" I yelled, balling my hands into fists. He glanced up at me, uninterested.

"I understand that this might be a little shocking for you, so I'll let you go unpunished this time. Beside, we're going to La Push tomorrow to talk to some of the elders there. Go to sleep, this discussion is over." He said in a bored matter. I just stared at him, dumbfounded. I shook my head and walked up to my room in a dace. I couldn't believe everything that had just happened.

Every last hope I had left was squashed. I could never be a musician. I could never live the laid back life I'd always wanted. It just wasn't a possibility for me. I would be better of dead.


	5. Chapter 5

--Edward--

I couldn't sleep that night, even when I heard Henry go to bed.

Did he really have that much power over other people? Did he have people all over the world? And where had he gotten all the money from? Murderers and thieves didn't exactly do things for free, and Henry's house wasn't that big. I refused to call it my own home, because this wasn't home.

I wanted to die. I honestly did. Why didn't I just go and cut my throat now, then? I had a razor in my bathroom. It could be quick and easy, no drama needed.

But I couldn't do it. I couldn't make myself get out of bed and do it. I felt anger bubble up inside me. How _dare_ they take my life away from me? First Elizabeth, and then Henry. I had done nothing wrong. I didn't deserve all this crap. And before I died, I wanted to live life my way. I wanted to decide what to do for myself. I wanted to travel, see things, sleep a whole day, eat whatever the hell I wanted when I wanted it.

I wouldn't give up, I decided then. Henry would be to suspicious of me now. He would be watching me like a hawk for weeks. But I could wait. I'd waited eighteen years of my life already, so a few more weeks would be nothing. I would leave, and I would live life to the fullest. And if he ever found me, and killed me, it wouldn't matter. Because I had tried, and no one could call me a coward for that.

I could see the sun shining into my room when I fell asleep, but for the first time ever, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

"Boy, get up!" Henry roared into my ear the next morning. I jumped at the volume and scrambled away from him as far as I could go. I stared up at him with fearful eyes.

"Oh stop acting like a Drama queen. And I won't tolerate any back talking from you today, boy, so you better watch that mouth of yours, or god help me I will sew it together myself." He barked, and started walking towards my door.

"Get dressed, your doing morning exercises in ten minuets sharp. I expect to see you in the training room by then." He said on his way out. Childishly, I stuck my tongue out after him so he wouldn't see, and got out of bed.

Just a few weeks, I reminded myself. I could do that. I think.

Ten minuets later I was down in the training room, hanging upside down from my knees, doing sit ups. It was harder then normal, because you really had to use your body, and all the blood was rushing to my head.

I thought I saw a white face out in the woods, but it disappeared before I could see clearly. My glasses kept slipping off my nose. Henry saw it too, and ripped them off my face impatiently.

"You don't need those now boy. You don't need to think, just do. Now, take 50 more of these and then go take a shower. You stink. And don't use to much time in front of the mirror trying to look like a pretty little princess. Trust me, it's a lost cause." Henry sneered, and stalked out of the room. I did 50 more, and did the mistake of relaxing my legs a little. I fell down, landing hard on my back.

"_Ow_." I muttered quietly to myself. Henry didn't even bother coming in and see what it was. I think he already knew. I found my glasses on the floor and put them on. I saw a flash in the woods, and I turned in that direction quickly, but it was gone before I had turned completely.

I hurried up to my bedroom and into my bathroom. I pealed out of the sweaty clothes and put them into the hamper. I looked into the mirror. It did look like my muscles were a little bit bigger. Not much, mind you, but a little. And that was better then nothing I suppose. And I didn't look so sickly thin anymore ether, because Henry had constantly given me food so I could handle more training.

I hopped into the shower, satisfied. I started thinking about where I would go when I ran away and how I would do it. I still had the money Matilda gave me. I felt a pang when I thought of her.

She was dead, because of me. Henry had killer her to teach me a lesson, and by running away she had died for nothing. I frowned. She wanted me to run away. She even gave me money and told me to be a smart boy. So I would do it for her then. I had to do it for her.

When I was dressed, I walked downstairs. Henry was sitting at the table, eating breakfast already. There was a plate on the opposite side of him, for me to eat. I sat down hesitantly, and started eating my food.

"Your staying at Billy Black's today, boy, with his son, Jacob Black. Billy is one of the elders, so he's going to be at the meeting too. Jacob does pretty much what he wants, so you'll stay around him. Got that, boy?" Henry asked briskly.

"Yes sir." I said quietly. I was scared shitless by just sitting at the same table as him. I actually missed Elizabeth. She had never killed anyone as far as I knew, and she wasn't so regular with the beatings.

"And no talking about yesterday. That's between you and me, and Billy doesn't know. You can bet your ass that you'll be joining Matilda and the fishes if you say anything to anyone." Henry threatened, pointing his Fork at me.

"Yes sir." I said just as quietly. The picture of Matilda flashed before my eyes, and I had to suppress a frown. I still couldn't wrap my mind around it. She was dead. _Gone_. All because of me.

"Come on, lets go. And no talking in the car." Henry ordered, snatching the keys off the table. I wasn't allowed to sit in front with him, so I had to sit in the back of the car so he could keep an eye on me in the rear view mirror.

Billy Black's house was little, and it looked more like a cottage then anything else. Henry stepped out of the car, and told me to hurry up. He hit me in the back of the head with his cane when I stepped out, saying I was too slow.

"Henry! Good to see you." Billy said from the doorway. He wheeled himself down on the lawn, and started rolling over to Henry's car.

"Ah, Billy. Are you ready to leave?" Henry asked, actually smiling down at the man. Billy had chopper skin, and cheeks that rested on his shoulders. His eyes looked cold, and where pitch black. It was a very big contract to his white hair.

"Yes, I am. And what's your name?" He asked me with a tight smile. I could tell he didn't like me. But that was fine, I didn't like him ether.

"Edward Masen, sir." I answered, not even bothering with a smile. He nodded his head, and then turned back to Henry.

"Well, are you ready to leave? We're a little late, so we should hurry. Edward, why don't you go inside? Jacob is there waiting for you." Billy told me with that same tight smile. I nodded and walked inside the house.

The TV was blaring, so I assumed Jacob was in the living room. I walked towards the noise, and was not disappointed. A boy around fourteen fifteen sat on the couch, both of his feet propped up on the table, with a bottle of coke and a bowl of chips. He jumped up when he saw me, and a bright smile lit up his whole face.

He was very different then Billy Black.

"Hey, I'm Jacob. You must be that guy dad was talking about. Make yourself comfortable. Do you want something do drink?" He asked in a rush, acting as if he was on a sugar high. I sat down in a chair.

"No thank you." I said quietly. He frowned a little, and then his face brightened again.

"What's your name? And how old are you?" He asked, the smile still on his face. How anyone could be so happy was beyond me. But then again, Alice Cullen seemed to always be happy. Bella was happy too, but in a more relaxed way…

"Edward Masen, and I'm eighteen." He nodded in understanding.

"I'm only fifteen, so I haven't gotten a drivers license yet, but I'm working on a car right now. Do you wanna see it?" He asked me eagerly.

"Sure." I said, letting a small hesitant smile come to my lips. He beamed at me, and jumped out of the couch, and walked outside. I followed him out to a little shed. It was full of car parts, and a huge car in the middle. Jacob was prattling on about the car, what model it was and what car parts he was missing.

"Hey, do you know what they talk about at the elderly meeting?" Jacob asked suddenly. He pulled his shoulder black hair up in a pony tale, and his dark brown eyes looked even darker in the bad lights.

"No." I answered truthfully, sitting down on a work bench. Jacob jumped up on the hood of his car, and crossed his legs in front of him.

"We're not suppose to know about it, but I do. You see my dad usually just lets me do whatever I want when he goes to the meetings, so about a week ago, I snuck down to Sam's house, and I listened to the meeting." Jacob said in a low voice. I bit my lip, trying to conceal my excitement. I really wanted to know what they were talking about.

"Do you know the Cullen's?" Jacob asked, shocking me. What did they have to do with anything.

"Yes…" I answered hesitantly.

"I guess you wont understand any of this if I don't tell you the Quileutes legends. Some of them are really old, and others are more…resent. One of them claims that we are descended from wolves- that they're our brothers. Its against tribal law to kill them. And an other story, my favourite, is about the cold ones." I furrowed my brow. _Cold ones?_

"Cold ones?" I asked, my voice low. I knew Henry would be pissed at me for letting Jacob tell me this. But I just couldn't bring myself to care. This involved Bella and her family. And I wanted to know more.

"Yes, cold ones. My great-grandfather even knew some of them back when he was young. He made the treaty with them, to keep them off our land." Jacob continued.

"But what has this got to do with the Cullen's?" I questioned.

"I'm getting there." Jacob said with a chuckle, pleased that I was following his story.

"My great-grandfather, was an elder leader, just like my dad. And he also believed strongly in the legends. So when he heard that there were cold ones on his land, he and his fellow wolf brothers, well werewolf's, as you would call them, hunted them down. The leader of the cold ones, a male, said that he and his family were civilized, that they didn't hunt humans. So they made a treaty. If the cold ones stayed off our land, the werewolfs wouldn't expose the cold once to the white-faces." Jacob said with a chuckle. It was obvious that he didn't believe a word he was saying.

"But if the cold ones weren't dangerous, why couldn't they come on your land?"

"First of all, the werewolf's and the cold ones are natural enemies. So why shouldn't one of them have their own territory? And they didn't want to risk any human life's. There is always a risk when your with cold ones. They clamed that they could survive on animals instead. But sometimes they slip up…" Jacob said, taking a long pause.

"I still don't see what this has to do with the Cullen's. Are they cold once, like in your Great-grandfathers story?" I asked hesitantly. Jacob shook his head.

"No." He said, and then bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

"They're the same ones." He said dramatically, and then laughed. I frowned. What did all this have to do with the meeting Henry and Billy were attending at Sam's?

"They used to only be four though. Two males and two females. Two new females and a male has joined them now, since last time they were here." Jacob said, scratching his head slightly, as if in deep thought.

"But what are the cold ones?" I asked in a low voice, very interested in the story. He gave me a grim smile.

"Blood drinkers." I felt a shiver go down my spine. "Your people call them Vampires." To say I was expecting that would be a lie. Weren't vampires suppose to have fangs, be ugly and turn to ashes in the sun? The Cullen's had been to school all week…

"Vampires? What does vampires and werewolfs have to do with anything?" I asked, confused.

"That's the thing! When I was eavesdropping on them, I heard everything they said. They actually, really and _truly_ believe what they say. They were talking about Sam, and how hard it must be for him to protect everything without any brothers at his sides. And they were talking about the Cullen's too. Something about a dead person found in the woods right outside of the reservation. Its strange, because I checked the newspapers, but it didn't say anything about someone going missing, and no one's disappeared in the reservation in ages.

"They thought that it might be the Cullen's, or that the Cullen's knew something about it. But they didn't want to go to them and ask, since it wasn't their land. So last time they were discussing what to do. I had to leave before I heard their decision though." Jacob said with a frown, and then he gave me a funny look.

"Your taking all of this pretty seriously. You don't believe it, do you?" Jacob asked me. I shook my head.

"No, its impossible." I said with a little smile. And then I frowned slightly.

"Hey Jacob, what's Henry doing at the meetings?" I asked, praying to whatever god was out there that he wouldn't tell his dad. Jacob frowned and looked down at his hands, twisting them nervously.

"Well, its kind of your fault that my dad's in a wheelchair, so to make it up to him, he said he'd drive him to the elderly meetings. He was sitting out in the car last week, talking on the phone, so he isn't exactly on the meetings. He just drives my dad around." Jacob said, glancing up at me nervously. I wasn't surprised at all. It sounded just like Henry. I was curious about what he'd done thought, to ruin Billy's legs to the point where they were useless.

"But…isn't he friends with your dad?" I asked him. Jacob shook his head.

"They used to be friends, but their not anymore. You see, dad told Henry that there were too many wolves on our land, but it was against tribal law to kill them, so no one could do anything about the problem. Henry figured that since he wasn't an Indian, it would be okay for him to kill the wolves. Dad tried to stop him, and Billy thought he was a wolf…He shot my dad in the leg. The rest of the elders were really mad at dad for telling Henry about the wolf problem, since it's a tribe thing." Jacob got a pained look on his face. I felt ashamed to be Henry's son. But it didn't seem like Jacob held me responsible for anything. I was grateful for that. He was the first person ever that I could even have as a friend.

"Thanks for telling me the story. Your really good at telling them." I complemented him with a small smile. I chose not to talk about what Henry had done. He beamed back, and his whole face lit up.

"Really? You can't tell anyone though, because I sort of just broke the treaty." Jacob said with a laugh. That won't be a problem, I thought to myself.

"I wont tell anyone." I promised him. Even thought the story sounded absurd, it made me wonder. Why would there be serious meetings with old people, if all of it wasn't true? Or were they all blindly following some sort of ancient book, or tales? But that couldn't be correct ethers, since the Cullen's were in the story.

I had been watching them. Or more specifically, Bella, all week. She didn't remind me of a vampire at all. Well, beside the very pale skin and the eyes. There was something wrong with their eyes and skin. How can someone so different from each other, be so much alike? Two of them, the Hale twins, did look very much alike. Both with blond hair, and topaz eyes that seemed to darken as the days went by, another thing that wasn't normal.

And then there was Bella and Emmett, who were supposedly brother and sister. They didn't look much alike in the face or body structure at all. Emmett was huge, with big muscles and curly dark hair. Bella was smaller, and not nearly as tall. And her hair was straight, and her face soft. But both of them had the same topaz eyes. Alice was the only one who came alone. She was little, bouncy and happy, and moved like a ballerina. She too had the same topaz eyes as the rest of them. Maybe it was a vampire thing?

They didn't eat, I noticed, and they moved with unnatural grace. Was it just me, or did that not seem normal? I wasn't a vampire expert. I was hardly allowed to even read books, but what little I did know was that Vampires were suppose to be ugly.

"They don't seem very vampire like to me. Why did the elders single them out like that?" I asked him after a long silence. Jacob was tinkering inside the car. He poked his head out and gave me a confused look.

"Well, there are other legends about beautiful people who were vampires. Very different from your Hollywood version. And I have seen the Cullen's. Its only natural for them to think that they're vampires." Jacob said with a shrug, like it was no big deal. For him, I guess it wasn't.

"Personally I think their just superstitious old men with too much time on their hands. But it doesn't explain Sam though. He dropped out of Collage to 'protect' the reservation. I mean, what's there to protect us from? Bears? I don't think Sam could do that. He's big, but not that big." Jacob continued on with a scoff. It was obvious that he didn't like this Sam character very much.

"Does the Cullen's know that their not allowed on the reservation?" I asked hesitantly. Jacob smirked.

"I guess they remember the treaty from the last time they were here. They know. The elders actually went down their and reminded them. I think that's the first time I've actually been embarrassed of being an Indian." Jacob said with a chuckle. I didn't respond. This was all very weird. I had only known the Cullen's for about a week, and I did know that there was something strange about them. But Vampires? I think that was going a little too far. I would stick with a crazy cosmetic obsessed Dr. Cullen for now. But I would be watching them though, closely from now on. Something just wasn't right with them.

"Boy, get that lazy butt of yours out here, _now_!" I heard Henry yell from the drive way. I got a panicked look on my face, and Jacob gave me a funny look.

"What's wrong? Did you do something bad?" Jacob asked, confused. I just nodded and jumped up, running outside.

"Where have you been? And where's Jacob?" Henry asked gruffly as he saw me running towards him. He was in a very bad mood. Not a good thing for me.

"I'm right here, sir." Jacob said, coming up beside me. He was leaning back slightly, with both of his hands stuffed in his pockets, his face full of oil from the car. Henry gave him an angry look, which shocked him slightly.

"Billy's inside, Jacob." Henry said, and then grabbed my upper arm roughly. He showed me into the car door, and started walking to the other side.

"Be careful with my car you idiot! Are you _trying_ to ruin it?!" He yelled, slamming the car door as he sat inside.

"Bye Jacob." I said to his stunned face and sat down in the car quickly. Jacob walked inside, still shocked.

"What did you talk about?" Henry demanded to know. I had expected this though, so he didn't catch me off guard.

"Car's. Jacob is building one in his garage, sir." I answered somewhat truthfully. We had talked about cars for a few minuets. So technically, I wasn't lying. Henry nodded, satisfied. I was happy to note that it was late, and Sunday. I wouldn't be training again before after school the next day.

I realised that I would only have a few weeks to watch Bella. And then I would never see her again. It didn't really matter to me if I found out about what they were. I knew it would always bug me though, if I didn't find out.

"When we get home, your going straight to bed. No training today." Henry said gruffly. He must be in a really bad mood if he even let me have a relaxing day.

"Yes, sir." I answered him clearly.

"Wipe that smirk of your face. Your going to train extra hard tomorrow, so we can catch up. You aren't getting any bigger." I wanted to point out to him that I'd only been training for a week, and that he had to wait to see the results, but I bit my tongue. No need to get a beating.

When we arrived at home, Henry sent me straight to bed. It was fine with me. I didn't have homework, and I wasn't in pain. My day couldn't get any better then this.

As I laid in bed, I thought about Bella. It was like something was screaming inside of me at the thought of never seeing her again, yelling at me to stay, just so I could see her. But what was the point? I couldn't talk to her. I wasn't allowed. It wasn't worth watching a girl from afar, when I knew that nothing would happen. But I could try to talk to her before I left, if only a few words. That couldn't hurt…I had to prove to myself that she was normal, or find out about her secret. If there was a secret there, which I was sure it was.

I could ask her about it, and what she thought about the elders coming to warn them. Maybe she'd just laugh her beautiful twinkling laugh…I shook my head. She would probably just be offended that I thought she was a Vampire. It did sound ridicules, even in my own ears.

I sighed into the empty room. She probably didn't even want to talk to me after how rude I acted to her. And Rosalie probably told her that some student tripped me in the hallway, making me look like a even bigger loser then normal. A part of me said that she wouldn't care, and that she'd just laugh it off and change the subject. But the other part of me, thought that she would act like everyone else. When I thought about it, it didn't seem very likely. Bella was to nice to do something like that.

I was suddenly very nervous about tomorrow. Would she talk to me? Was she mad? She didn't seem very mad the last time I saw her, but that didn't mean her mood towards me hadn't changed. Girls were very unpredictable.

I decided that I would at least try, and I would prove the Vampire theory wrong. It didn't sound right, but then why were so many people in on it? Why were they covering up a murder? And why did they really single out the Cullen's as vampires? I would at least get two answers before I left this hell whole for good.

**Nothing much happened in this Chapter, but it had to be there, sort of like a filler. Hope you like it so far, and don't stop reading just because this chapter wasn't exiting. I have plans for them ;) Review!**

I own nothing blah blah blah.


	6. Chapter 6

--Edward--

For the first time in a long time, I was exited about something. Last time I was this exited, my mother had died.

I jumped out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. I showered and shaved my face before I walked down to the kitchen in the same military clothes. It still bugged me that I wasn't allowed to wear a sweater, and I was surprised that I hadn't gotten a cold yet.

"Eat your breakfast and get to school. Your one minuet late, don't make it a habit." Henry said sourly. He was probably mad about yesterday. Briefly, I wondered why he was so angry. Usually only I could do that, but something had set him in a real foul mood. Inwardly I shrugged. To me he seemed to be grumpy all the time, besides, why should I care? I would leave in a few weeks anyway. I felt giddy just thinking about it.

When I finished breakfast, I left the house quickly, hoping to get to school early. Maybe Bella was there early too. I turned on the radio, and to my delight found that some rock band was playing. It wasn't often that I got to hear rock or metal music. It was like the forbidden fruit.

There were only four cars in the parking lot when I got there, and I was delighted to see Bel-_The Cullen's_ car parked there. Mike and some of his friends were there too, standing in front of a beat up old van. I stepped out of my car carefully, not wanting to fall and embarrass myself in front of Bella. She was talking to Alice and Jasper, laughing and smiling. I smiled too, and Jasper glanced over at me, nudging Alice in the side. Before I could turn around, someone pushed me into my closed car door.

"Well if it isn't loser from loser land. Think your smart, huh? Getting your _daddy_ to fix your problems for you, eh? Aren't you man enough to do anything for yourself." Fix my problems? I almost snorted at the idea. Henry was the _root_ to my problems.

"First of all, I didn't ask him to call. He asked about why my jaw was blue and I said you punched me. I didn't ask him to call anyone." I snapped back. I was very angry, and it felt good to let it loose on someone.

Mike stared at me with a stupid face, his mouth hanging open slightly. He had the biggest, most disgusting zit I had ever seen; it was actually bulging out of his forehead. His head caught up to what I had said, and he pushed me again. None of his friends did or said anything. They just made sure that I couldn't get away.

"Yeah, well…you stay away from Bella Cullen, alright? She's _mine_!" He yelled, releasing me from his tight grip. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I haven't talked to her in a week." I answered him, leaning back on the car. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and looked back at him. I was actually a little taller then him.

"I'm not stupid, I saw you staring at her." He stated, holding his hand up to his friend. An eager boy, who I had learned was Eric, slapped his hand in a high five.

"I didn't know you were dating her." I said, trying not to smile. What was wrong with me today? I was happy and giddy and actually standing up for myself. Maybe it was because I knew that I could get away soon. Mike got a shocked expression on his face.

"Of course I date her. I'm hot, she's hot, it's the perfect match." I couldn't contain my laughter this time. It was only a small chuckle that escaped, but I was shaking with suppressed laughter. He thought he was _hot_?

"Go talk to her then." I said, challenging him with my voice. I saw him gulp under all the ringlets of fat around his neck. And then he slapped me, hard across the face. I was use to treatment like this, so I just looked back up at him expectantly. He was surprised that I didn't mind the hitting. I had had a lot worse then that.

"I don't have to prove anything to you." He said sourly. I glanced over at Bella and her siblings. Emmett and Rosalie were out of the car as well. Bella looked very amused, and Alice was giggling uncontrollably. Emmett and Jasper were grinning and Rosalie was tending to her nails. Mike slapped me again, harder this time. It was still nothing.

"No, you don't. I'm just saying that if she's your girlfriend, shouldn't you be able to go over and talk to her? Not to prove a loser like me wrong, but shouldn't you be with her if you're dating?" I asked cocking my head to one side. His friends turned to him expectantly, waiting for what would happen next.

"I-um, huh…I…I…" I tried to walk away from them. It was only funny for a few minuets before it got irritating to listen to Mike mumble and embarrass himself in front of his friends. Someone grabbed my shoulders from behind and slammed me back into my car door.

"We're not done with you." Mike said sourly, trying to change the subject. A car with two students drove into the parking lot. I was earlier then I expected then. I glanced inside my car. Still half an hour until the warning bell rang.

"What do you want with me, then?" I asked, exasperated. Mike scowled.

"I want to kick your ass for ratting us out like that you snitch." Mike said, moving in closer. I pressed myself into the car door and held my breath. Ether he hadn't brushed his teeth in about a year, or there was something seriously wrong with his body odour. It was a mix of rotten cheese, dog poo and something I couldn't even name. I shuddered in disgust. What the hell did he eat?

"I didn't rat you out, okay? It's not like I can control what Henry does." I snapped at him, and pushed his huge chest with my hands. He stumbled back slightly.

"Doesn't matter. I still lost my computer for a week, _and_ I had to work extra at the store. Because of you." Mike said, angry. Someone cleared there throat softly beside us, and I looked down to see Bella Cullen standing there, here hands on her back. She was swaying on the balls of her feet, smiling at all of us. I am ashamed to say that I smiled goofily back like the rest of the boys.

"Hey, Bella." Mike said, trying to be smooth. He slipped his sausage like fingers into his pockets and leaned back slightly, trying to look cool.

"Hello, Michael." She answered with a little nod. She turned to me, and her smile brightened even more.

"Come on Edward, lets go to the place." She said with a giggle. I was to dazed to resist. She stuck her hand out for me, and I took it gladly. I was shocked at how cold and hard her hand was. It felt like smooth marble, carved out perfectly. It felt like an electric shock went through my body. _Cold ones_, a little voice in the back of my head whispered. I almost snorted out loud. She was just a little cold, no need to freak out over that.

We left the group of stunned boys behind us. I saw Emmett and Jasper walk up to Mike, and he looked scared. Before I could see anything else, she pulled me behind the school.

She sat down on the ground, the same place we had talked together last time.

"I want to be your friend." I said quietly, when she just sat there and looked out at the trees with a puzzled look on her face, her plump lips formed in a small smile.

"I want to be your friend too, Edward. But I don't want you to get hurt because of me." She said quietly in her musical voice. I looked down at my lap and scratched the back of my neck. It wasn't awkward, sitting her with this beautiful girl. And that surprised me. I had had always been awkward around other people. But everything felt natural around her.

"What if we…what if we're secret friends, then? We can sneak around. Not after school though, I'm busy then…" I said with a sigh. It wasn't fare. I should be able to have friends. She turned to look at me with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"You mean like Romeo and Juliet? Only we're friends." She added as an after thought.

"Sort of, I guess. I like talking to you, Bella." I told her truthfully. She smiled a kind smile my way.

"That's good, because I wasn't planning on leaving you alone." She said with a giggle. I laughed with her, and felt a pang of sadness. Was it really smart of me to be friends with her now, before I would leave? I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head. I'd been depressed for 18 years, didn't I deserve at least a few weeks of happiness? Besides, it was impossible to stay sad when Bella was sitting next to me.

"Why did you move here, Edward?" She asked me after a brief silence. School started in a few minuets, but we still had time before the warning bell.

"Um…my, my mother, Elizabeth, she died in a plain crash." I told her quietly. She nodded her head and turned to look at me.

"That sucks." She said, and I had to laugh. That's one way of putting it.

"What happened to your parents?" I asked her, quietly. Was it okay for me to ask her questions like that? We were friends, and weren't friends allowed to ask things like this? She frowned, and plucked some straws off the ground, playing with them in her small slim hands.

"They died when I was young. I don't really remember them…" She trailed off, her frown deepening. I almost felt guilty for making her frown.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I told her. She nodded, and then smiled again, something she seemed to be doing a lot.

"Can we meet here again at Lunch?" She asked me eagerly. I was a little surprised that she wanted to spend so much time with me, but pleased.

"Don't you want to eat with your siblings?" I asked her, concerned. Just because I wasn't allowed to eat cafeteria food didn't mean she should stop. Not that I had ever seen her eat any of it before.

Her butterscotch eyes twinkled madly with amusement when I told her this. It was like she was sharing some sort of inside joke with herself.

"Don't worry about the food Edward, I had a big breakfast." She told me with a laugh.

"I'll meet you here then." I said as I stood up. I held my hand out to her, to help her stand. She took it eagerly and stood up with a little bounce.

She surprised me even more when she smiled up at me and gave me a quick, cold hug.

"See you later Edward!" She whispered as she ran around the school, laughing to herself. I don't even think she knew what she was laughing at. Until I noticed my jaw was almost laying on the floor. I snapped my mouth shut, embarrassed.

I walked to my first class, and sat as far away from Emmett as I could. He seemed to understand, and sent me a small smile. I smiled in return discretely. No need to let anyone know I was befriending the Cullen's. The only people who didn't like me, were Jasper and Rosalie. As far as I knew, Jasper didn't care, and Rosalie had started to glare at me every chance she had.

No one bothered me all morning, and I was thankful for that. They shot me some looks though, when they caught me smiling. I waited impatiently for the bell to ring, wanting nothing more then to just run out of there. When it finally did, I was out of the classroom before everyone else.

As much as I hurried and tried to beat her there, she still managed to get there before me.

"How did you get here so fast?" I asked her curiously. She shrugged her shoulders and winked at me, leaving me slightly dazed.

"Trade secret." She replied, poking her tongue out at me. I smiled at her, shaking my head.

"Did Newton bother you today?" She asked me.

"No, he didn't. I'm a little surprised he wasn't mad after you draged me away from him. Your boyfriend smells disgusting!" I teased her. Even though I knew they weren't dating, and I knew she would never date him, I still felt a little pang of jealousy. She screwed her little button nose up in disgust.

"Please, don't even joke about me dating him. I would rather run naked trough the school four times in a row screaming **'Woohoo, Look at me, I'm naked!',** before I would even consider going out with him. And your right, he does smell disgusting." She ranted. I laughed at her ultimatum. I would thought she'd pick something else to compare the situation with, but she managed to surprise me again.

People were always very predictable. At least I thought so. It wasn't hard to figure out what someone was thinking. With Bella, it was different. She surprised me and caught me off guard every second I was with her. And I loved it.

"I don't think you'll ever have to be that extreme. But I'm sure all the boys in school will be very disappointed." I teased her again. She didn't blush, but her head bowed, and she slapped my arm lightly.

"Shut up." She mumbled, and I laughed louder. I think I laughed more with her then I had ever done in my entire life. There was a silence, with the occasional chuckle escaping me.

"What's your favourite thing to do in the whole wide world?" Bella asked me suddenly. I looked down at her small frame beside me and smiled a genuine smile.

"Spending time with you." I replied, and she laughed. She used her index finger to push my glasses up my nose, and I felt my breath hitch. It was stupid to act like this. I was acting like every other guy in school. She was gorgeous, yes, but I would still of liked her even if she was ugly. It was her personality that I liked, but I didn't mind her looks ether. Like I said, I was a guy.

"Other then that. We haven't exactly been doing this more then a few minuets. What's your favourite thing to do?" She asked me again, bringing her knees up to her chest, and wrapping her arms around them. She rested her head on her knees, looking up at me through her think, black lashes.

I lost my train of thought, staring into her deep butterscotch eyes. Bella snapped her fingers in front of my face, waving it a little.

"Oh, right." I blushed, but pretended like nothing. I saw the little smile on her lips though, but she didn't point out that I'd been staring at her like an idiot for the past two minuets.

"Um, playing the piano, and listening to music, I guess. I do it whenever I get the chance." I told her with a smile. I had been lucky this morning, this whole day actually, about everything. First, I got to listen to rock music. Then I stood up to Mike, and I was secretly friends with Bella. This day could not get any better.

Bella's whole face lit up, making my heart skip a beat before it thumped three times harder. Bella's face turned a bit smug, as if she could hear it. _Cold ones_, the annoying little voice told me in a sing song voice. _Shut up_.

"I really like music too, at least when I'm out tending the garden. I'm a flower freak." She said with a laugh. That did not surprise me. She had such a bubbly personality. Flowers just fit her.

"What sort of music is your favourite? Or do you have more then one?" She asked, sounding interested.

"My favourite over all the others would be Rock music. And after that comes classic." No need to tell her that I hadn't been able to listen too music for a very long time.

"Rock is definitely the best. You'll have to convince me on the classical though. it's a little slow, don't you think?"

"It's very relaxing, but I do agree with you that Rock is better. Just not all the time." I reasoned. I did agree with her, but I didn't think it was boring or slow.

"I guess your right. I'll try it out sometime, for you." She promised me with a grin. My heart fluttered slightly before going even faster.

"Hey Edward, could I try your glasses?" Bella asked suddenly, straightening herself up. She had such a hopeful expression on her face that I couldn't say no. Wordlessly I handed her the thick glasses.

"Holy Juice! You can see through this? Your eyes are really weird." She said with a laugh. I saw her blur twisting around, soaking in everything from the new perspective.

"Yeah, my eyes are pretty weird. Its strange, since Elizabeth and Henry have perfect eye sight. I hate those glasses. I whish I didn't need them so much." I confessed.

"I think their cute. And I meant that your sight was weird, not your eyes. You actually have very pretty eyes. Green, my favourite colour." She said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. I didn't know what to say to that. That was the first complement someone had ever given me in my entire life. I could feel myself blushing, which was embarrassing in itself. She giggled at my reaction.

"Thanks, I guess." I mumbled, making her laugh even more. She handed me my glasses back, and I put them on gratefully. She shook her head at me and smiled.

"They do look good on you though." She added. Why was she giving me so many complements? Was that normal for friends? Was I suppose to give her complements back?

"Well, your eyes do look three times bigger, but other then that their cool." She teased me. I laughed along with her. The bell rung, startling the both of us.

"Lunch has never gone by quicker then this. I'm glad we're friends, Edward. I really enjoyed talking to you. You wanna make it a daily thing?" She asked me as we stood up, gathering our bags. I grinned a crocket grin. I knew it looked stupid, but it was how I smiled when I was really happy. Elizabeth saw it once and got a really horrified look on her face, running out of the room. Bella looked a little dazed before she snapped out of it and smiled a beautiful smile back. Of course it was perfect.

"Sure, I'd love to." I replied. She gave a happy 'yay!' and gave me a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow Edward. If we're keeping this a secret, I can't say bye to you at the parking lot. Bye!" She gave me another quick hug, and I was stunned at how good she smelled. It was a very floral scent, too good to be a perfume. She pulled back and ran around the school building.

"Bye." I said after her quietly. You know what's sad? Those were the three first hugs I'd ever gotten in my life.

I realised that I would be late, so I hurried into the school. The halls were half empty, so I figured I would get there on time. The teacher scowled at me, but didn't say anything.

I dreaded having gym, because I knew Mike and his gang would do everything to make it as miserable as possible. At first they'd only joked about how scrawny I was, and made other comments about my body, and all my scars. The wonderful world of the locker rooms.

They'd taken to childishly hide some of my clothes, or steal my towel. It was getting really annoying, but I didn't say anything.

Today, however, they didn't say anything. They just joked around with each other and left me alone to change in peace.

They didn't even try to take my clothes, which surprised me. I tensed up as they walked past me, because my back was turned to them. I waited for one of them to do something, but when they didn't, sighed a sigh of relief. I wondered why they were being so 'nice' all of a sudden.

Gym was okay. Much better then the gym hell I had at home. The guys weren't so merciless when we started playing. I don't know how many times I accidentally got the ball smacked in the face. Funny how that only happened to me.

I always dreaded showering the most. It was like a freak show for the rest of the guys, where they could see all my scars. It wasn't hard to find any ether, because my body was full of them. I didn't have any in the face though, which I was grateful for.

"Hey Masen, where did you get that love bite from?" One of the guys sniggered as he pointed to my neck. It was the furthest thing from love in the world. Henry had showed his cane into my neck when I'd been lying on the floor after he'd hit me with the belt.

"Um…"I tried to find a good lie, but Mike, being the obnoxious guy that he was, decided that it was enough time playing nice for one day, so he answered for me.

"Who in their right mind would want to kiss Masen? I would rather die then do that." Mike said, shuddering. I had to turn away to hide my own discuss when his fat body jiggled. It was…disturbing, to say the least.

"Sorry Mike, I don't swing that way." I said as I walked out of the shower. Eric gave me a appalled look, silently asking how I _dared_ to speak to his master like that. I snorted at that as I started dressing. Thankfully, they hadn't stolen anything of mine this time.

I wiped my glasses off for what seemed like the billionth time in the shower, since they kept fogging up.

"I'm _not_ gay!" Mike yelled, running out of the shower. I really, really wished he would put some clothes on. That image would be very, hard to get out of my head. He was panting, and red in the face from embarrassment and anger.

I put both of my hands up in mock surrender.

"Hey, I'm not the one running at people when I'm naked." I said turning back to putting my socks on. Some of the guys in the shower started laughing loudly, and Mike was slowly getting purple in the face.

He just stood there, naked, glaring at me.

"Oh for the love of crackers, put some clothes on!" I cried out. I couldn't take it any more. I think I would have a melt down if I had to watch his body jiggle for one more second. I wanted to clean my brain out with boiling oil.

Mike stomped over to his own locker, and practically ripped it open with his sausage hands. Some of the guys were still laughing. Everyone except Eric. He looked really sad, and hurt over something. He kept glancing over at Mike every few seconds.

I shrugged it off and started walking towards the parking lot. I groaned out loud when I thought about going home. I wanted to leave, now. But then I felt a pang of sadness at the thought of leaving Bella, and never seeing her again. I knew I would do it eventually, but that didn't mean that I had to like it.

I saw Bella staring at me from across the parking lot, but she didn't wave or do anything. We had agreed that it would be secret, so we had to act like we didn't talk together.

I saw that Rosalie said something to her, and Bella glared back at her. Even when she was angry, she was gorgeous. She said something back with an eye roll and then sat inside the car, slamming the door forcefully.

I frowned as I drove out of the parking lot. What did Rosalie say to make Bella mad? That seemed nearly impossible. She didn't seem mad per say, only very annoyed. Rosalie on the other hand looked ready to spit fire. That girl was very scary. Not that I would ever admit it to anyone.

Henry was waiting out on the porch for me when I got home. He was frowning, and for a panicked second I wondered if he knew about Bella and I.

"Get in, boy." He said, and walked inside before me. As I locked my car door, the blue Volvo drove down at the road, past our house. I couldn't see the people sitting inside it, but I knew who it was anyway.

I walked inside, and into the training room.

"Take your shirt off. And put your hands behind your head." Was the first command that came. I knew this day was to good to be true. I did as I was told, and as soon as my hands rested on the back of my head, the belt buckle swung down once, hard across my back.

"Are you stupid, boy?" He thundered. I gulped, what the hell had I done wrong _now_?

"Yes sir." I answered him, knowing that that was what he wanted to hear. The belt buckle hit my back again. I let a tiny groan escape my lips, but Henry didn't seem to hear it.

"The principal called just a few minuets ago. Do you know why, boy?" He sneered. _**Smack**_, the belt hit the same place as the last time.

"No, sir." I said, trying not to stutter. I was scared, and I wanted nothing more then to just run up to my bedroom and lock the door. He hit me one more time, this time over the chest. I was glad that he hadn't sliced my skin open. Those were a nightmare to shower with.

"He was concerned about you, because of all of those ugly scars on your body." He snapped, like I was the dumbest person in the world for not knowing what they'd talked about on the phone. He hit my chest again, and I screwed my eyes shut against the pain. I started to think about Bella, and I pictured her smiling face. It helped a little, because I was happy to see her happy. I didn't smile though, Henry would only be more angry if he saw that.

"You've told the school, haven't you? Didn't I tell you not to say anything? _Huh_?!" He yelled, hitting me two times. I couldn't feel the once on my back anymore. But the three on my chest felt like someone was sticking needles into me.

"No sir." I said in a tight voice. He hit me again, harder this time.

"Don't lie to me!" He screamed loudly, getting a wild look in his eyes. I closed my own tightly, humming to myself, so quietly that he wouldn't hear.

"I'm not, sir." I gasped as he hit me again. He kicked the back of my knee, making me fall down.

"Get up and start training." He said abruptly, his whole mood chancing. I started doing sit ups upside down again, since that was the hardest thing to do. Henry sat in a chair and watched everything I did, to make sure I wasn't slacking off or doing something wrong.

We continued like that for the rest of the day, stopping once to eat and then continue on with the training. Henry hadn't been kidding when he said I was going to catch up from yesterday. Today had been brutal and I wanted nothing more then to sleep.

"Go to bed, boy." Henry said, not finding anything to complain about. That didn't mean he was about to complement me ether, that would just be ridicules in his eyes. I had done well today, even though my chest was stinging. I was use to the pain in my back, but not so much the chest. It hurt like hell.

I got into the shower and washed off all the sweat. I dressed in a pair of pyjama pants, not bothering with a T-shirt. It would only hurt my bruises more.

I walked back into my room, finding the homework. I didn't know why I even bothered. I would quit High School in just a few weeks anyway. But Henry would probably be suspicious about why I didn't do my homework. I didn't have much, so I finished under half an hour, much to my relief.

Something smacked into my window, sounding like a stone. I didn't think about it though, it was probably just the tree outside my bedroom window banging on it. The noise came again. To close together to be a branch. I stood up from my desk and looked out the window. Bella was straddling the branch outside my window, smiling at me widely. She swung her legs back and forth, waiting for me to get the window open.

I fumbled with the lock slightly before I opened them wide. I grabbed her wrists tightly, just in case. I helped her inside my bedroom, and she looked around curiously.

_"Bella, what are you doing here?"_ I whispered, panicked. What if Henry came in and saw her? He would be beyond angry.

_"I'm here to see you Romeo. We're secret friends, remember? And since your on house arrest 24/7, I thought I'd keep you company. Oh, and I figured that since_ you've fallen _through so many belt buckle shaped glass tables for the past week, that I'd give you something for your skin, to help it heal."_ Bella whispered back, grabbing my hand. I felt the same strange shock go through my body when I touched her, and I tried not to think about it.

_"Why are we whispering?"_ She whispered dramatically. I rolled my eyes at her, and smiled.

_"Because Henry is down stairs, and I don't know what he would do if he found out about us. I mean us being friends."_ I added quickly. She looked amused at my slip up. She pulled a little green backpack from her back and zipped it open. It wasn't raining outside, but it was still cold. I took one of the blankets on the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders.

_"I don't want you to get a cold. Your freezing."_ I whispered to her questioning gaze. She smiled at me in thanks, and pulled a blue bottle out of her bag.

_"I made this myself. it's a rare sort of heeling plant from Indonesia. Its very affective, and it numbs the pain while its working on the heeling process."_ She explained as she started shaking the bottle quickly.

_"Lay down."_ She whispered. I propped some pillows up against the wall behind me, so I could see what she was doing. She squeezed some of the purple cream into the palm of her hand, and dipped her fingertips in it quickly.

She was very careful when she placed the cream on my chest, and her cool hands made it feel a whole lot better at once. I was blushing a little, more then a little uncomfortable. It felt good, but I was very self-conscious. She was perfect, even now when her hair was up in a messy pony tale, and she was wearing sweats that I'm sure where Emmett's. And I was an weird, ugly excuse of a teenager.

_"Does it feel better?"_ She asked me, her fingertips tracing my collarbone. I gulped. I didn't have a bruise there.

"**Much, thank you**." I was glad I could use Henry as an excuse to whisper, because I'm sure my voice would of cracked. She nodded with a small smile, and glanced up at me shyly through her eyelashes. I knew my chest was covered in purple cream, and I knew she'd gotten everywhere, but she made no move to stop tracing my chest, and I couldn't for the life of me stop her ether.

_"This is fun, don't you think? It sort of gives me a thrill out of doing something bad. Like sneaking out and coming over here, climbing up in the tree. I feel like a spy or_ _something_." She said with a quiet laugh. I smiled at her, and moved myself so I was sitting on the edge of the bed.

_"So no one in your family knows you're here?"_ I asked her. She bit her lip and glanced up at me.

_"Alice saw me leaving the house, but she promised not to tell. But I know she'll tell Jasper, and Jasper has to tell Emmett, because it's a guy thing to do or something. Anyway, Emmett will tell Rosalie and Rosalie is going to tell Carlisle and Esme because she loves getting me in trouble. So yeah, no one but Alice and Jasper knows now, but by tomorrow morning their all goanna know, including my parents."_ Bella said with a sad sigh.

_"I'm sorry."_ She mumbled, shuffling her feet slightly. I shook my head, laying a hand on her shoulder hesitantly. I wasn't good at the whole physical contact thing, but it seemed like I would have to deal with it when Bella was around. Not that I minded.

_"What are you sorry for?"_ I asked her softly, not really understanding. She'd gone out of her way to make me some healing cream, which were doing wonders, and she'd snuck out of her house, even though she knew that her parents would find out. She'd done all of that for me, and _she_ was sorry?

_"I'm not good at the whole holding our friendship a secret. I couldn't even last a day! Now my whole family knows."_ She said sadly. Did the only plant I had in the room look a little brown? I could of sworn it was green just a few minuets ago…

_"It's okay Bella, don't worry about it. You aren't in the same situation as me, so they won't be mad that you have a secret friend. As long as they don't tell anyone else I don't really think there's a problem. Other then you sneaking out of course. You should of done that for me, now your parents will be angry at you."_ I whispered to her reassuringly. My hand tucked away a strand of loose hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek all the way back before I even noticed what I was doing. It had been a natural thing to do.

I looked down at my lap awkwardly, taking my hand down from her shoulder.

_"They will probably be a little upset that I didn't say anything before I left, but they'll understand. I've actually run away from home a few times."_ She confessed to me. Both of my eyebrows rose. I would of never thought she'd do something like that.

_"Why?"_ I asked her. She shrugged, and leaned her head on my shoulder. I didn't really know what to do, so I awkwardly put my arm around her small frame. Bella seemed to be okay with that, so I relaxed a little.

_"I ran away from home for a few months before I came back to them. I just had to get away from everyone and everything, you know? Its not like I left them forever. But their anxious when I walk out of the house without telling them where I'm going. I mean, when you want to disappear, why tell someone where your going? Their always wondering if I'll leave them for a few hours or a few months. That's why they're upset, because I never say when I'm leaving."_ She told me quietly. I nodded my head in understanding. I whished I could run away with her.

But I couldn't do that to her. When I ran away, I would be constantly on the move so Henry wouldn't find me. I couldn't make her do something like that. She said she went back home after a few months. I would never return.

_"You should sleep, your probably tired."_ She whispered, moving out of my now relaxed arm. I walked over to the window with her.

_"Do you want me to follow you home?"_ I asked her. I didn't know where she lived, but I didn't think that mattered. I would walk her to London and back if she asked me to. She shook her head, and pulled the hood of her huge sweater up.

_"My car is parked down the street. Its not long, and I can protect myself."_ She said, grinning at me widely, showing off her sparkling white teeth. There weren't any fangs, I noticed absently. I instantly felt stupid. Of course she wouldn't have fangs, she's _not_ a freaking Vampire, I thought to myself.

_"Okay then. Thanks for the help, and the cream. I'll see you at lunch tomorrow?"_ I asked her hesitantly.

_"Definitely_." She replied before she opened the window. She gave me a quick hug and jumped out on the branch, straddling it again. I watched her as she got down from the tree safely. I would jump to the ground if she fell, just to make sure she was okay. She waived up at me and ran out of Henry's backyard.

It seemed strange, almost ridicules, how comfortable and easy it was to talk to Bella. We hadn't talked much other then today, but I'd still known her for a week.

I could not believe how lucky I was to have someone like her in my life. It saddened me that our friendship would end so soon. She would be off to collage some day, and marry a nice man with a huge house. While I would probably end up as a street rat in a big city, or with Matilda…I gave a shudder. I didn't want to think about her now. It was terrifying and depressing.

I picked up the blanket Bella had dropped on the bed, and wrapped it around me. I breathed in her sent deeply. It smelled better then I remembered. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes. I was grinning so much that both of my cheeks hurt.

Finally, I had a friend.

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I started this chapter today, it was long and I fished it! I think I decerve a review for that :)


	7. Chapter 7

Hey Everyone, so sorry that it took so long. I have had a lot of homework now, and I can't just Ignore them...Don't know what more to say--R&R!

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--Bella--

I ran home as fast as I could from Edward's house. I wished I could of stayed longer, but I knew I couldn't.

Alice was waiting for me at the porch, her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping impatiently.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself." She said irritably. I didn't let her bad mood bother me though. I just stood in front of her, at the bottom of the steps. Everyone could hear our conversation, but I didn't care. It wasn't like we could keep secrets with Alice around.

"As a matter of fact, I did." I answered her finally, crossing my arms over my chest too. Her frown deepened, and she stared at me with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Rosalie is angry with you, you know." She told me, not changing her stance. I raised an eyebrow.

"Well that was new. When is she not angry with me?" I replied sarcastically. Alice's face turned to one of worry, and she shuffled her feet slightly. I knew why, and I didn't feel one bit guilty about it. I always got sarcastic and irritable before I left them. Normally, I came back after a few years, or months, but it still worried them that one day I would decide to never come back.

"Bella please…You know what you did was wrong. He's leaving." She reminded me. I looked down, hiding my frowning face away from her.

"Just move." I told her as I walked past her into the house. She didn't say anything as she danced past me, falling gracefully down into Jaspers lap.

I dumped my backpack on the floor in the hallway, and took of Emmett's huge sweater. I was still wearing his sweatpants and a black singlet, something that I knew would bug Alice. Slowly, I walked into the living room where the rest of my family was waiting for me.

Carlisle didn't look angry, but I knew he wasn't happy with me ether. I took a seat in the only chair in the room, facing the rest of them. No one was smiling, but Rosalie was the only one that looked angry.

"I can't believe you! How can you be so selfish? _Huh_?!" Rosalie yelled, standing up. I stared back at her with emotionless eyes, which I knew freaked her out.

"He's leaving, isn't he? Shouldn't he at least have a friend before he leaves? Have some fun in his life before he disappears?" I said with a cold edge to my voice, with a tint of sarcasm. They looked at each other with worried eyes, and Esme would be crying if she could.

"That's not the point! He'll still remember you! We're not suppose to get close to the humans, you _know_ that! How _dare_ you be friends with him?" Rosalie said, pointing an accusing finger in my direction. I closed my eyes and gave a shuddering breath as I tried to control my emotions. I heard the vase in the kitchen explode, and I could almost feel the roots of the plant crawl across the kitchen floor.

The emotions I were feeling weren't anger. I was rarely angry, and almost always happy. But I was frustrated, restless and annoyed. Rosalie was pushing my buttons. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

"Rosalie, that's enough. Sit down and control yourself." Carlisle told her soothingly. She huffed and sat down, crossing her arms.

"Bella, I do believe I told you to stay away from him." Carlisle reminded me. He wasn't angry, but he was picking his words carefully.

"You said I had to stay away from him after we got him to pass out. Obviously, that hasn't happened yet." I pointed out smartly. Esme looked down at the floor. I felt bad for making her feel this way, but I couldn't help it. I'd told Edward that I had run away from home a few times. It was more then a few times, but it would seem strange seeing as I was only '17'.

It wasn't that I didn't like my family. I loved them, all of them. Even Rosalie. But I couldn't handle going to school, following rules, acting human. I wasn't human, so why should I act like one?

When I ran away, I usually didn't take anything with me, I just got up and left. And I never said goodbye to anyone. It just wasn't home. I felt more at home in the forest then Esme's designer house. I couldn't help it, it was just the way I was. Could you blame me for snapping at others when they tried to tell me what to do, when I was older then almost all of them? They were treating me like an ignorant child, foolish and inexperienced, and that was another mistake on their part.

Carlisle frowned at me.

"Bella you know what he meant by that. Make him pass out in school, so it wouldn't be so personal, you know? Not sneak into his window, while he was awake." Emmett told me, exasperated. I'd been staring up at the ceiling as he spoke. There was more anger in Emmett's voice.

"He was hurt." I replied, still not looking down. Rosalie scoffed at me.

"You think that justifies it?" Rosalie snapped, agitated. I knew they were all looking at me, a bit frustrated that I was more interested in the ceiling then them.

"Rosalie, what do you think he thinks about me?" I asked her, ignoring her question. In my mind it _did_ justify what I'd done. He was hurt, I helped him. I was his only friend. And that's what friends do, help each other. I wasn't going to let the fact that he was human ruin the few weeks we had left together. In my eyes, he was an equal, and he deserved a friend. Besides, he would run away in a few weeks. Human memories fade with time...

"He's probably thinking about how hot you are, and how lucky he is have someone so beautiful to look at. He's just a horny little dork, how should I know? Does this question have a point?" She asked sourly. I let my eyes drop from the ceiling and meet her cold topaz ones.

"Your vanity astounds me yet again, Rosalie. You truly do amaze me." I said sarcastically. Carlisle cleared his throat in a sort of warning. Rosalie looked mighty offended, and was about to retort. I beat her to it.

"It never occurred to you that he isn't like any other hormonal teenage boy? That he _might_ have something else on his mind then porn magazines and pretty girls? Everything isn't about beauty, Rosalie. He is being beaten almost to death, by his own father. _Every, single, day_. He has no friends, and no one's ever been nice to him before. Not even his own mother. And then I come along and wants to be his friend. Do you honestly, and I want you to answer me honestly on this one Rosalie, do you _really_ think he cares about what I look like? Do you think that he wouldn't except my friendship if I was ugly?" I asked her in an light tone, even though I was dead serious.

She stared at me blankly for a long time, and no one else said anything.

"So, Rosalie, what do you think he's going to think about me? Do you think his first thought was 'Oh, that girls hot, lets forget about my beatings and my hellish life and focus on her instead! Maybe she's a _vampire_ too!" I said dramatically, in a perfect imitation of Edward's voice. Rosalie looked like she wanted to protest, but again I cut her off.

"Or do you think that he's grateful for having someone, _anyone_, who's willing to help him? To be his friend? When he leaves, he'll only remember me as the first person to ever be nice to him, his first friend. Do you honestly think he's first thoughts are about me being a vampire, just because I'm pretty? Humans have their own image of how a vampire looks like, and I don't fit that description. You need to get over yourself, Rosalie. Your vanity is making you an ugly, mean and egoistical person." I told her softly. She was growling, and tried to launch herself at me, but Emmett grabbed her around the waist before she was even half way over the coffee table. I didn't move an inch.

Jasper sent out waives of calm. Rosalie glared at me with more hatred then ever as she sat down next to Emmett again.

"Do you guys see my point? He's grateful for having a friend. Do you think he's first thought's goanna be 'Oh she's a vampire!'?" I asked everyone in general. Rosalie was growling softly, glaring at me. I ignored her and her childish ways.

"I do understand where your coming from, Bella. But this is still risky. I'm proud of you for being there for him, and helping him. I know its just for a few weeks, but still…he could get suspicious." Carlisle told me softly.

"When? In lunch? He doesn't eat then, because his dad won't allow it. And its not like I'm going to sneak over there every night." I retorted. I really didn't see the problem.

"Like you've done every other night for the past week?" Rosalie sneered. I glanced over at her.

"I didn't show myself, now did I? It didn't seem like you had a problem with it then."

"That's because he didn't see you! You don't get it, do you? He could _die_, because of _you_! If he dies, it'll be on your hands, Bella. What will you do if he finds out?" Rosalie challenged.

"Oh for the love of bumblebees! He. Is. _Leaving_! I will never see him again after a few weeks. I'll see him in school for half an hour and then I'll only sneak over to his house for a few minuets once a week. I'll bet you the thought of vampires hasn't even crossed his mind. You guys are too paranoid." I told them flatly. Jasper sighed and straightened up a little bit more in his seat. Alice was sitting beside him quietly, only paying attention but not talking.

"Bella, I can see your point, but I still agree with Rosalie. You shouldn't be friends with him, it isn't natural. You said it yourself, he's leaving. Does it matter if he's miserable for the next few weeks? Besides, it could put all of us in danger, not just you." Jasper asked me gently.

"Your just thinking about yourself. Are you _stupid_? You want a friend. Doesn't matter if he's human, does it? Little Bella always has to have it her way." Rosalie taunted me. I felt my annoyance grow, along with the poison Ivy that was tangling its way up my ankles, wrapping themselves lovingly around my wrists.

"Rosalie." Esme said sharply, throwing her a glare. The Ivy was making its way around the table, snaring in around Rosalie's ankles. She tried to kick them off, so I made them stronger.

"Need I remind you, _Rosalie_, that I am over 200 years older then you? You might look older then me, but it does not give you the right to question my intelligence." I told her, my voice no longer soft or light. It was emotionless. The ivy was around her waist now, snaring around her wrists, locking them to her sides. She glared up at me while Emmett tried to free her.

"Bella stop it, that's enough!" Emmett yelled, trying to break my plants. I lifted my arm up to my face, and the ivy around my wrist nuzzled my cheek as a way of greeting. I glanced over at Rosalie and the Ivy started going backwards slowly, realising her.

"Carlisle dear, please make a decision. I want everyone to stop fighting." Esme pleaded with her husband. Carlisle ran a tired hand through his blond locks. I pretended to be preoccupied with my plant, but I had all my attention on Carlisle. I would fight him if I had too, I would not give up Edward.

Only the thought about leaving him alone sent me a pang of sadness. I could never do that to him. He needed me, and I realised that I needed him too. I wanted to be his friend, and it brought a frown to my face when I thought about it. He was leaving in a few weeks. And he wasn't coming back. Ever. What would I do then?

"I don't like this, Bella. At all. Not only are you putting him in danger, but your putting your whole family at risk. If he finds out, we kill him, or we change him." Carlisle told me firmly, in a fatherly sort of way. I thought it over. I loved being a vampire. Heck I was proud to be one. The only downside was the drinking of human blood, but I stuck to animals, so that wasn't really a problem for me. Maybe Edward would be better of as a vampire?

"Why aren't you answering? You seemed so sure that Edward wouldn't find out about us earlier. Doesn't matter if you promise to kill him then, does it?" Rosalie taunted me again. I closed my eyes briefly, calming my nerves.

"Who said I would kill him?" I shot back at her. She stared at me, incredulous.

"What?" She hissed. "You can't possibly _want_ to change him? What are you going to do, make him your dorky mate and live out in the forest like the freak you are?" She snarled. Emmett stared at her, shocked.

"_Rosalie_!"

"That's enough!"

"Carlisle, I won't leave him alone. He's my friend and its staying like that. If he finds out, I'll be the one to change him myself. You have my word. Rosalie, I am so, so sorry for breathing your perfect air with my freakish lungs." I told her sarcastically. I turned around and ran up to my bathroom. I didn't care about what she called me. It wasn't the first time she'd called me freak. But her other words struck me.

Why was the idea of changing Edward so appealing? He didn't like me like that, I knew. Sure, I had the beauty that every vampire possess, but something told me that Edward didn't care much for looks.

I started filling up the bathtub with boiling hot water.

Did I want him as my mate? No. I decided. I didn't. But I liked his company, and I liked him as a friend. We could talk about things so easily, and we had a lot in common with each other. Even more so then Emmett and I. Even though I'd just met him, it felt like I'd known him for ages. He was smart, sweet, considerate, kind and had adorable dorky glasses. I giggled quietly to myself. I suppose it wasn't normal to find your new best friends glasses adorable, but they were, in my eyes.

I turned the burning water off and stripped off my clothes. I let my stone like body sink to the bottom of the tub. I opened my eyes and looked around the water, producing seaweed that tickled my arms and legs, if that was possible.

He was brave too. It's a wonder he hadn't broken down from emotional or physical stress before. I could of never lived the life that he had. I felt strangely giddy just thinking about him. For the first time ever, I was exited about going to school. And I knew Edward was to blame.

I heard some banging and yelling in the room under me, but the sound was muffled by the water. I knew it was Rosalie and Emmett though. I really hoped that it wasn't about me. I might not like Rosalie, but I loved Emmett. Even though he was born long after me, I still looked at him like he was my big brother. I didn't want to see him hurt.

The door to my bathroom opened and closed, and I produced water Lily's that floated on the water. I pushed myself up, so my head and shoulders were above the water. Esme was sitting on the closed toilet seat, right beside the head of the bathtub. She gazed down at me with a heartbroken expression.

"I'm sorry Esme, I don't want anyone to fight over me." I whispered in vampire speed. She shook her head and sighed.

"They'll work it out. You know how Rosalie is. I'm worried about you, though. Is it bothering you, how Rosalie is acting? Is that why your leaving us, again?" Esme whispered, and the same heart broken expression came back on her angelic face. I groaned aloud and let my head fall back.

"Don't use that face on me, its unfair." I huffed.

"I don't care about what Rosalie says about me. She's just frustrating. She doesn't know him, Esme, and she talks about him like he's some sort of dirt under her shoe. It's not right, since he's a really nice guy. She thinks that just because he's human, he's going to find out about our secret and tell the whole world. Honestly, would vampires be the first thing that popped into _your_ head?" I asked with a sigh.

"I know that its wrong of her, Bella. And I guess your right about us being paranoid, too. But can you blame us for being cautious? I want to see you happy, so you have my support. Just try to make the right decisions, dear." She told me quietly. The yelling from Rosalie and Emmett's room was getting louder. I'd never heard them fight like this before. It was always Rosalie who yelled over stupid little things, not Emmett.

"But you still didn't answer my question. Why are you leaving us this time?" Esme asked me again. I looked down at the water Lilly's- snow white like my skin.

"I didn't know that I was going somewhere." I replied. I hadn't made up my mind yet.

"I just don't understand why you leave and come back all the time. You never tell us why…are we doing something wrong?" Esme bit her bottom lip hesitantly.

"No, mom, no. it's not that…its...hard to explain." I really didn't want to tell them. It wasn't like I was drinking from human's or anything like that. I just needed some time alone.

"I just thought that maybe it was our fault, or _my_ fault. Maybe I'm doing something wrong as a mother? You never say goodbye when you leave, no note, no phone call. We just have Alice to go by. I'm terrified every time you go out the door." She confessed. I saw her hands shaking slightly, and it looked like she didn't know what to do with herself.

"You know I always come back." I told her quietly after a moment of silence. I couldn't tell her that it wasn't their fault, because it sort of was. They didn't mean to do it in a bad way, but how can you tell your family that their strangling you?

"I never know when, Bella. What if your attacked by vampires or werewolfs? Please tell me why your leaving. Alice saw it, so there is no point in lying to me." She said, sniffling slightly as if she'd been crying.

"Esme, I'm older then you, I think I can take care of myself." I told her sharply. I was sick of them babying me. It was always like this before I left. It wasn't like me, and they knew it. I sighed.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Esme. That I'll stay? You know I wont. I can't say goodbye because then you'd just try to stop me. Its something that I have to do, please try to understand." It was the first time any of them had confronted me about why I left.

The first time when I came back, they'd been shocked, and asked why I left. I hadn't told them then, and I wasn't planning on it now. I was my own vampire, and I could decide to do what I wanted to do with my existence without having to ask permission from anyone. At least that's how I thought it should be.

"I'm trying to, believe me. Every time you leave, I try to figure out why-" She started to explain herself.

"Esme please, don't. I told you it was something that I had to do, just let me, okay? Alice keeps up with me, she tells you when I'll be home, what I'm doing, if I'm misbehaving…" I said with a little smile, trying to lighten up the mood. Esme smiled sadly down at her hands.

"Alright. I whish you'd tell me, but I respect your privacy. Please tell me when your ready." Her eyes snapped up to mine, pleadingly.

"Esme, its out of your hands." I told her quietly. She nodded and walked out of the room in silence. She wasn't angry with me, which I was grateful for. When I was about to make the Lilly's disappear and sink to the bottom again, the door banged open again. I jumped slightly and looked over at the intruder.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm naked." I told him, producing a few more Lilly's to show my point. We might not have any secrets in the family, but that didn't mean I liked being naked in front of everyone.

Emmett just huffed and slammed the door closed after himself. He slid down with his back against the wall, pulling one knee up to his chest.

"You okay?" I asked him when he didn't give me a witty reply. He just nodded, but didn't answer me. I understood that he wanted to be silent, but not alone. That was something I couldn't understand with him. He couldn't handle being alone no matter how upset he was.

We sat like that for a few hours, in silence. Rosalie had left the house, Alice and Jasper where whispering in their room and Carlisle and Esme were out hunting. The water had gone cold a long time ago, but I didn't mind. It wasn't like I could feel it anyway.

"I'm sorry about Rosalie, Bella. I don't know why she's treating you like this. You don't deserve all the crap she's giving you." Emmett said finally, breaking the silence. I glanced over at his huge form. He was staring at the floor, as if ashamed.

"Emmett it's okay." I tried, but he lifted one hand lazily to silence me.

"No, its not. I don't even know _why_ she's acting like this towards you. I love her, Bella, don't get me wrong. But I can't help but feel that what you said is true. She is selfish, and egoistical." He muttered helplessly.

"Don't listen to me, Emmett. I don't know what I did, ether, but I'm sure she has her reasons. Have you asked her why?" I asked him, slightly uncomfortable. I wasn't good at this, and Emmett knew that. But then again, he sucked at this too, so maybe I could give him some good advice.

"I might of yelled it…" He said with a humourless chuckle. I smiled at him sadly.

"I don't want to be the source of an argument, Emmett. And I know that I'm making problems for everyone. Just please, please try to understand why I'm doing this." I pleaded with him. Emmett was my best friend, and if he didn't understand why I had to keep seeing Edward, I would reconsider my decision.

"I know _why_ your doing it. I think your mad, though, for going against the whole family just to help a human. But I can understand it. And if you think its safe, I'll trust you on that too." He said with a smile, as if his argument was forgotten. I knew better though, because the smile didn't really reach his eyes, and his dimples weren't showing.

"Don't you like him?"

"I haven't really talked to him that much, but he is amusing. He must be a great guy though, if your willing to stand up to all of us for him." Emmett teased me. I smiled too, looking back up at the ceiling.

"I hope everything works out with Rosalie, Emmett. We might not be friends, she might even hate me. But she's still my sister and I do love her, so she can think what she wants." I told him this more for his benefit then my own. Emmett was always exited when Rosalie and I got along. He smiled at me in thanks.

"We're fine, her pride's just bruised. So, are you going to sneak over to your _boyfriends_ house tomorrow?" He started teasing, and I noticed the old spark in his eyes were back. I flipped him the finger.

"Hey, you do _not_ get to mock me while I'm naked. Its against the rules. _Get out_!" I yelled at him playfully. Emmett's laugh boomed through the house, startling Jasper. Of course Alice already knew. He just stood up and walked out of the room, still laughing.

I made all the Lilly's disappear before I stood, letting the now icy cold water triple down my marble skin. I sighed as I wrapped a huge red fluffy towel around myself. I hadn't had this many problems since Rosalie and I met.

It had been a few decades since the last time I left them. I had come back after two years with living in the forest. But now it was different…

The other times I'd left because I felt smothered by all the humans, the rules, my family. And I wanted to just put some clothes on and leave, right now. At least after Esme's confrontation.

But every time I made up my mind, I would be hit with a pang of sadness, and my thoughts would wander over to Edward. Just the thought of leaving him seemed laughable. No, I would stay, for now. And when he left, I could leave too, make sure he was okay…

"Isabella Marie Swan Cullen you get your skinny ass into my perfectly fashionable room right this instance!" Alice yelled with her high soprano voice. Emmett was snickering, probably excited about me getting yelled at.

Quickly, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a black tank top. Walking down towards Alice's room, I could hear her muttering profanities about me.

"You screamed?" I teased her, poking my head into the room. She grabbed my arm roughly and dragged me into the room, snapping the door shut after me. She realised my arm, and glared at me.

"You _promised_ you would stay away from him!" She said, exasperated when I didn't answer her right away.

"No, I said that I wouldn't-" She cut off impatiently.

"Yes, yes not _now_. I'm talking about when he runs away. You said you'd leave him alone, that there was no chance of him ever finding out about our secret!" I stared at her curiously.

"What are you talking about, Alice? I said he wouldn't find out." I said truthfully.

"What did you see, Alice?" Jasper asked from the desk he was sitting on. Emmett came into the room and jumped down on the bed, staring up at us expectantly. I wouldn't be surprised if he dragged out the popcorn.

"I saw Bella and Edward in a car." She said reluctantly. She was editing, _a_ _lot_.

"So?" I asked her, wondering why she would get so upset over something so little.

"Hello, maybe you forgot he has a psycho dad? He's not allowed to have anyone in the car. And it was dark outside. He's only allowed to use the car to and from school. So, obviously it was after school." Alice said, biting her lip.

"Why are you editing, tell me what you saw." I demanded.

"Are you planning on taking a _'vacation'_ soon, Bella?" Alice asked, ignoring my request. I stiffened at her question.

"Maybe." I answered her slowly, narrowing my eyes at her petite frame.

"I see." She said quietly, sitting down beside Emmett on the bed. She was about to say something else, when she was pulled into a vision. Jasper stood up quickly as Emmett lowered Alice down on the bed, so she wouldn't fall down on the floor.

"Alice?" Jasper asked with concern when she didn't wake up. I'd never seen her having a vision for such a long time before. I walked over to the bed, watching my favourite sister.

She'd been frowning and winching occasionally, but now she was beaming so much I was surprised her cheeks didn't hurt.

"Whatever she's seeing, it must be something good." Emmett muttered, poking her temple with one finger. I gave him a funny look, a small smirk on my lips. Jasper just swatted his hand away, sending him a little glare.

Alice's eyes fluttered open, and they snapped over to mine. Her eyes were shining with happiness, just like on her wedding day. She gave a little squeal before she jumped on me. I was so surprised that I fell of the bed, dragging Alice with me. What the hell?

I just wanted to thank everyone who's Reviewing. I've never gotten so many Reviews at one time before! I think I have 47 reviews just on chapter one, how cool is _that?! _I was really surprised when I saw so many of you liking my story :) Thank you so, so much! You guys Rock! _(I Love Emmett and Ice Cream!)_

_Would love some more Review's, and sorry about the Cliffy, I'll try to update real fast )_

_Love Fairy Eyes!_


	8. Chapter 8

You know how guys say that Women are complicated? Have they ever taken one minute and looked at themselves?! I mean come on, they want one thing and say annother! Ugh, bosys are stupid. I'm 16 and already sick of them...well not all of them, but at least that one guys who's been keeping me from writing to you lovlely readers. I had to break up with him and now he's all sad and all my friends are mad at me cuz of it, which sucks since they all said they would of done the same thing that I did. But anyway, that doesn't matter. Lame exuce not to write, I know. But here it is, and please don't flame me!

--Edward--

"Boy, wipe that stupid smile off your face and get up!" Someone yelled in my ear the next morning. My eyes shot open quickly as I felt Henry's cane hitting my head.

"I don't care about what sort of sick, perverted fantasy you want to continue in your head, but when I say breakfast at 7, I expect you to be at the breakfast table at 7!" Henry snarled, hitting my head again with the cane. I threw the delicious smelling blanket of off me, and jumped out of bed, standing straight.

Henry was seething with rage, both of his nostrils flaring.

"Get to school, no breakfast today. You better get home quickly today boy or I swear on my mothers grave that you'll end up with Matilda." He whispered viciously. He hit me with the cane one more time before turning around and walking out of the room.

"Take a cold shower and be a man about it you sissy girl." He mumbled loud enough for me to hear. I blushed slightly at his trade of thoughts. I honestly could not remember what I'd been dreaming, but it must have been something good if I was grinning. I glanced over at the clock and did a double take. It was ten past seven.

I threw my clothes on quickly and snatched up my homework, putting it into my backpack.

"Five minutes boy!" Henry yelled up the stairs.

"Shit." I mumbled to myself as I ran into the bathroom. I didn't have time to shave, so I would have to walk around with a stubby face all day. I frowned at that as I brushed my teeth quickly.

"30 seconds, and I'll give you a beating before school if your not done by then!" Henry yelled. I hurried down the stairs, tripping on the last step. I fell down in front of Henry, and I scrambled up as fast as I could.

"Go, now before I change my mind." He growled, disappointed that I made it. I snatched my keys off the counter and walked outside. To my great horror, it was snowing, and the ground was covered with a thin layer of dangerous ice. I suppressed a groan as I walked carefully over to my car, only slipping once.

I was surprised to find a thin sweater inside the car, as a silent gift from Henry.

I was running a little late when I got to school, but I would still make it. The parking lot was fairly packed with people as everyone wanted to get into the warmth of the school and out of the chilling weather.

Stepping out of my old car, I noticed that Mike's gang stopped making so much noise. They pulled there heads together and started plotting. I sighed, this day was obviously not going well. At least Bella was here, smiling at me from a few cars down.

Carefully, I started walking out of the parking lot. A few cars were still coming in, trying to find a spare parking spot.

Suddenly, something hard, wet and cold hit me in the back of the head, making me stumble slightly. Now, at any other normal day, I might have been able to brace myself, but as it was, my hands were full of books, and it was very slippery outside. I started to fall, just as I heard a lot of screaming and an incredibly loud screeching sound.

My head snapped up and I could see a van coming at me in full speed. If I rolled to the side, I could escape it, I still had the time to do so. But my body was frozen.

What was the point in moving? No one could call me a coward if I was killed by a car. It would make everything so much easier if I just laid there and let the damn thing crush me. I didn't have a future with Bella. That was just impossible.

It seemed like the car would make the decision for me, because even if I wanted to move out of the way, I wouldn't have the time to do so anymore. I didn't close my eyes when I saw the tire coming at my face full speed. No, I was smiling, beaming even.

Right before it could crush me, something hard and cold smashed into my side, dragging my legs with it. We rolled a few feet before coming to a stop underneath a car.

"Edward, are you okay, I didn't hurt you, did I?" Bella asked me anxiously._ 'Cold ones'_ was the first thing that popped into my head.

"How did you get to my side so fast?" I mumbled confused. I had seen her, and she wasn't anywhere near me. I might have had the time to roll under the car we were laying under now, but there was no way in hell she could of run up to me so quickly.

"I'm a fast runner?" It sounded more like a question then a statement. I suddenly became very aware of our position, and realized that we were stuck like this. Bella was lying on top of me, her head beside mine. I blushed slightly and hoped she didn't notice.

"Edward, I think you hit your head pretty hard, your bleeding." She pointed out, concerned. I turned my head slightly in her direction, and she lifted her head as much as she could. Our faces were an inch apart, and all the screaming children were drowned from my world. It was only us at that moment, and no one else.

"I'm fine, Bella…but your eyes…their black…" I whispered, awed. How could someone eyes change like that? And through my thin T-shirt and sweater, I noticed another thing, I couldn't feel her heartbeat. At all.

"And your not breathing…" I pointed out. My head felt fuzzy, and all I wanted to do was sleep at that moment. I chuckled slightly to myself.

"You know, Bella…someone told me you were a vampire…" I started laughing, and my head smacked the underside of the car we were laying under. Bella giggled as she looked into my face, letting her sweet breath fan over me. I breathed in deeply, looking up at her. She was staring at me from underneath her lashes.

"Really, and who would tell you such a story?" She teased me lightly, but her eyes were still black and serious. I could hear all the screaming and the ambulance, but we were stuck where we were so I didn't think much about them.

"Jacob Black told me…something about cold ones…" I chuckled, not really understanding why I was laughing. I closed my eyes, and Bella poked my chest.

"Stay awake sleepy head." She whispered in her heavenly voice. I smiled and turned my head slightly, winching when I felt the pain in my head.

"Try not to move Edward, it will only make it worse."

"Are you, Bella?" I asked her absently, trying to fight of the sudden sleepiness I was feeling.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Romeo, but I'm not. Sorry." She said with a little laugh, smiling at me.

"Oh…I like you anyway though, no worry's…" I mumbled. She kissed my stubby cheek, which made my eyes snap open. She was smiling at me innocently.

"I'll keep that in mind." She mumbled to herself, staring at me with amused eyes.

"Are you okay under there?" One of the paramedics asked us as he bent down to look at us. I noticed that he was mostly taking to Bella, only sparing me a glance.

"No, Edward hit his head pretty hard, and he's bleeding. He's slipping in and out of conciseness so you have to hurry and get him to the hospital, I'm fine though, he braced my fall." Bella said, all traces of humour gone from her face.

The young man nodded and walked away.

"How are you feeling Edward?" Bella asked me, tracing one icy finger down my hairy cheek. My eyes opened a little more at the cold against my skin.

"That felt good…" I mumbled mostly to myself. The rational part of me was screaming at me, demanding that I shut up and stop acting like a fool. But the other part, the dizzy sleepy part of my brain couldn't give a flying fuck about what I was saying or doing at the moment.

Bella pressed her whole hand around the back of my neck, cooling down my burning skin. Her eyes were still black, and she was staring down at me with an unreadable expression on her lovely face.

"How's that?" She whispered. I smiled lazily.

"Even better…" The words were hard to get out now, and I wanted nothing more then to sleep.

"Their moving the car of off us now…Edward? Edward come on, open you eyes!" Bella said, shaking my shoulder slightly. I hadn't realized that I'd closed them. They opened slowly, one at a time. Bella's face was panicked.

"Oh for the love of cherry pops, _come on!"_ She whispered to herself, frustrated.

"Hurry up!" She yelled loudly, making me jump slightly.

"Sorry." She whispered, stroking some of my hair out of my face. She smiled at me softly, before ducking her head beside mine. The car started moving of off us, reviling all the faces of the students. I tried to lift my head of the ground as Bella scrambled up to get of off me. She knelt down beside my head and looked at me with big sad black eyes, shaking her head slowly.

"Its just Masen, leave him!" Someone from Mike's gang yelled, making a few people laugh. Mr. Banner silenced them all with one glare.

The young man and a few other paramedics got me onto a stretcher, much to my embarrassment. Bella just smiled at the young man and told him she was fine. He didn't need more convincing then that. She slipped into the backseat with me, holding my hand as soon as the doors closed.

"Come on Edward, open your eyes." She coxed me in a soothing voice. I complied, giving her a small smile.

"Sorry…" I mumbled with a sigh. She shook her head, giving my hand a little squeeze.

"Look on the bright side, now you'll meet my father." She said brightly. I didn't know what to say to that, since it was one of the last things on my mind. I think Bella was trying to brighten me up, which was ridicules, seeing as only her very presence were doing that.

"Is the person okay, the one that almost ran me over?" I asked her. It was the only thing I could think of at the moment.

"Angela Weber, she's in my year. She only got a few cuts, nothing major. Your in a lot more trouble then she is." Bella said reassuringly. She nudged my shoulder again when my eyes started closing.

"So, who's this Jacob Black guy? I would of thought I'd know him, if he knew what I was." Bella said with her tinkling laugh. I smiled at her mirth, happy that she was happy. It was like something I'd never felt before.

"He's from La Push…Indian reservation or something…" I slurred tiredly with a sigh. Why couldn't I just sleep?

"Oh. Well their a little crazy, I think. Honestly, I only dressed up as a vampire once, and that was Halloween when I was ten years old." Bella said, shaking her head in disbelief. But her eyes were hard, despite the smile that was on her face. She seemed tense and anxious.

"Are you alright, Bella?" I asked, trying to keep myself awake for her sake. I couldn't sleep if she was sad, that was unacceptable.

Before she could answer, the car door opened and I was rolled out and into the hospital.

"Where's Bella?" I asked the young man. He glanced down at me, annoyed.

"She's coming, so keep your pants on." He snapped with a glare. Why did everyone insist on me being some sort of horny, perverted teenager? I was just asking where she was! I didn't know if she was okay.

"Jeff, shut up." An older woman said, giving him a dirty look. She smiled down at me as they rolled into a hospital room.

"Miss. Cullen is fine, honey. You braced her fall with your body, so she didn't even scrape her knee." She told me proudly.

"And ignore Jeff. He's got a crush on her like every other male in Forks." She said with a deep laugh, so her double chin bounced slightly.

"Ah, Mary you can leave now, I'll take over Mr. Masen." A velvet musical voice said into the room.

"Are you sure you don't need _anything_ at all, Dr. Cullen?" Was it just me, or was there a double meaning to her words? Dr. Cullen cleared his voice, clearly uncomfortable.

"I'm fine, thank you." He said with a small smile. Mary nodded and patted my head before walking out of the room, throwing a longing look at his back.

"Good to see you again Edward. I wish it could have been under better circumstances but we take what we get, right?" He said with a smile. I couldn't smile though. I wanted, no _needed_ to know if Bella was okay. It was like my mind was refusing me any sleep until I knew.

"Dr. Cullen…I-I need to know if Bella is okay…" I tried to tell him that I wanted her to be happy and okay, seeing as I knew she was fine physically. Carlisle frowned.

"Mary just told you she was fine. I can't thank you enough for bracing her fall, I don't know what I would of done if something ever happened to my little girl." He said with such fatherly love I almost felt envious, until I reminded myself that Bella deserved such love, and I didn't. I shook my head.

"She's, she's sad…" I tried to explain, but I felt my eyes roll into the back of my scull.

"Edward? Edward, open your eyes again, come on now." Carlisle coxed me.

"I can assure you that Bella is fine, now I need to hook you up to an IV, and then we have to take some X-rays of your head to see the damage before we can do anything else." He told me soothingly.

"Jacob said you were a vampire…I- I think I offended Bella, I have to say sorry, she's my only friend…" I struggled with my words, and I almost couldn't understand what I was saying. Carlisle was staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face, his dark butterscotch eyes filled with panic and confusion.

"Edward, you hit your head pretty hard…now I'm going to give you some sedatives for the pain, okay?" I mumbled something even I didn't understand before I felt the dark consume me.

--Bella--

I sat in Carlisle's office with Emmett, waiting for my 'father' to come and get us.

"That was stupid Bella, I can't believe you." Emmett said, disappointed. He hadn't said a word to me since he arrived at the hospital, which in itself was unnerving. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Would you relax? No one saw me, okay? Only Edward, but he hit his head pretty hard, so we can explain it away." I said with a shrug. Inside I was worried though. Edward had talked about my eyes, my lack of heartbeat and called me a vampire. Everything I had told my family yesterday didn't seem so logic anymore. He knew, and that mutt Jacob Black had broken the treaty and told him.

"He called you a _vampire_!" Emmett snarled at me, standing up. He might be my best friend but he still had a nasty temper when it came down to it. I stared back up at him calmly.

"Jacob Black from La Push told him, not me." I defended myself. Emmett's glare turned harder.

"Well, if you hadn't groped him in the parking lot then maybe he would of thought that Jacob Black was crazy! He knows you don't have a heart beat, Bella. He said your eyes changed colours and you weren't breathing! We heard your conversation." Emmett said as he started to pace around the little office. I stood up and moved over to the window, looking out over the forest.

"Then maybe you heard how delusional he was? He was laughing over nothing and barely conscious. We can blame it on that. And for your information, I _wasn't_ groping him." I told him. _And if that doesn't work?_ A little voice in the back of my head whispered nastily. _We'll kill him_, the monster inside me suggested viciously. _Shut up, both of you!_ I snapped at them, annoyed. Emmett gave a harsh laugh.

"And if that doesn't work?" He challenged me.

"We'll just have to wait and see, now wont we? What's done is done, Emmett, and I can't change that. Besides, you heard Alice last night. Just let things unfold. Everything will be okay in the end no matter what."

"Alice's okay is very different from what the rest of the world sees as okay, Bella and you know it." Emmett said with a sigh, falling down into a chair.

"Emmett I'm sorry, but I couldn't let him die…" I whispered. It was like something had clicked inside of me when I saw the car coming at him. _Not him_, was the only thought that registered. It felt so natural to just save him, despite all the humans in the parking lot. But the car was so close to him that they couldn't see what happened, and who was behind the car.

"I know, I know…Your crazy, but I love you anyway…" Emmett teased me, trying to lighten the mood. I gave him a small smile in return. There was a knock at the door, and I heard the frantic heart beat of a human. I could smell him before he even opened the door.

"Miss. Cullen, Mr. Cullen. Your father wanted you to come downstairs." Jeff said as he opened the door. He was only speaking to me though, which I knew annoyed Emmett. He'd told me a few years ago that he was too good looking to be ignored, even by guys. I think I laughed for a full week after that, much to his annoyance.

I felt one of Emmett's heavy bear arms sling around my shoulders, trapping me to his side.

"Alright, you can show the way _Jess_." Emmett said seriously, flexing his arms.

"Its Jeff." He mumbled, so low that he probably didn't mean for us to hear. I snickered silently as I shrugged Emmett's arm of off my shoulders, shoving him into the wall. The wall wasn't up for it, and his hand went straight through. Jeff spun around quickly, staring at Emmett with wide eyes.

"He didn't get his breakfast or his ADHD pill this morning, he's always a little cranky after that. Emmett, I told you to stop hitting the wall! I'm telling Esme!" I scolded him, even though I was dying with laughter inside by the look on Emmett's face. Thank buttons for vampire memory.

"I'm sorry Bella." He mumbled, looking much like the kid caught dressed in his mothers underwear. I felt my lip twitching with the desire to laugh, but I managed to suppress it.

"I'll get the janitor to take a look at it…" Jeff said, glancing over at Emmett's huge arms. He gave a little winch and started walking again.

Carlisle was standing by Edward's bed, looking very amused.

"You think so, Edward?" He asked, and I could hear the mirth in his voice. I looked over at my human friend, and couldn't help but giggle at his state. He was drugged down, staring at everything with wide eyes. Someone had taken his glasses off, so his gorgeous green eyes were free. He was actually really handsome without his glasses on. Edward nodded seriously, his head lolling a little to the side of the pillow. Not really seeing anything, since he was blind without his glasses.

"Yeah…I think she wanted you…you know what Carl?" _Carl?_ I gave Emmett a curious look as I sat down on Edwards bed, taking his hand in mine. He didn't seem to notice as he was too busy telling Carlisle or '_Carl_' about whatever crossed his mind. Emmett was trying really hard not to laugh, which was a good thing. Emmett was very loud when he laughed.

"No, but I'm guessing your going to tell me?" Carlisle said, looking down at Edward patiently.

"I'm goanna marry your daughter, once…with a giraffe in the zoo…And then everyone got wet…it was hilarious…" Edward said with a chuckle. Emmett was biting down on his hand, and he had to turn around. His whole frame was shaking with suppressed laughter. I smiled down at Edward gently, shaking my head in disbelief. Oh if only he knew what he was saying…

"Which one of my daughters?" Carlisle asked innocently, and I shot him a dirty look.

"Don't you have other patients to look after?" I whispered to him, too fast for Edward or Jeff to hear.

"No, Dr. Snow is taking care of Miss. Weber and the rest of the town is healthy, so I don't have anything better to do." He told me calmly.

"Bella…she's so, so pretty and nice…I like her. But you know, Carl, I like ants too…" Edward told my '_father'_, not realising that I was holding his hand. Jeff snorted, rolling his eyes.

"You can leave, Mr. Cameron. I've got it from here." Carlisle said in a professional voice. Jeff nodded and walked out of the room, winking at me as he went. I didn't know vampires could gag until then.

"Well, ants are very fascinating." Carlisle agreed, and Emmett let out a little whimper. I glanced over at him to see that he was on his knees, shaking harder then ever.

"Emmett if you can't take it, then get out and laugh in the woods or something." He just shook his head and tried to calm himself down slightly.

"What did you do to him?" I asked with a laugh, shaking my head at my friend.

"Bella!" Edward exclaimed, finally realising that I was in the room.

"Edward!" I said with just as much enthusiasm. Edward threw his arms out, almost hitting Carlisle in the face. Of course, a human arm coming at us was slow, so he managed to move out of the way long before the hand actually came in contact with his face.

"Come here, you!" He said loudly in a mischievous voice. I bent down to give him a gentle hug, but he swung his arms around my back, holding me in place.

"Careful, Edward. Bella, he needed twelve stitches, so be gentle." Carlisle said worriedly.

"Hey Edward, can I get my head back?" I asked him, my voice muffled by his chest. It was like an electric shock went through me, and I couldn't understand why I wanted to move in the first place. _Snap out of it Bella,_ I scolded myself.

"No." Edward said matter-of-factly.

"I don't think she can breathe…" Emmett told him, and I felt his huge hand on top of Edwards.

"Bella doesn't breathe, but giraffes…they have to breathe…with their long necks…and their orange fur…I like giraffes…" Edward said as he laughed. I felt Emmett's arm stiffen, and I knew what he was thinking.

"Of course she needs to breathe Edward, everyone needs oxygen." Emmett said lightly, prying his arms of off me. I sat up, but Edward grabbed after me as soon as I moved.

"Oh _come on!_" He whined, tugging at my arm.

"I think he wants you to lay down, Bella." Carlisle teased me with a chuckle, even though he too was tense. How much did Edward really know?

"Bella is a vampire, she doesn't need _anything_…" Edward said stubbornly, tugging at my arm.

"Your so hard and cold…like stone woman…" Which sent him off in an other round off chuckles, before he winched.

"Ow," He muttered with an other chuckle.

"Did you call Henry?" I whispered quickly as I tried to ignore Edwards attempts to get me to lay down with him. He was tugging at my arm and poking my stomach, mumbling about how giraffes were a lot more cooperative then stone woman. This was starting to be a real problem.

"Sorry, Mary called him earlier. Henry was busy, so he told us to call him when Edward or '_the boy'_ was ready to come home from the hospital." Carlisle said with a sigh, shaking his head slightly.

"I hate that guy." Emmett growled silently. We listened to Edward talk for a few more minutes about me laying down beside him. I wanted to, but not with Carlisle and Emmett in the room.

"What are we going to do about Edward? We can't have him babbling about us being vampires when the nurses are around." Emmett said suddenly. Carlisle thought for a moment.

"Bella, you could be his nurse." Carlisle suggested. My head snapped up to look at him.

"What the…why?" I asked, confused. I knew they were short with the staff, but they didn't need that many people here anyway. The hospital got about 30 patients in one week.

"We could just say that you want to be a nurse when you grow up, and this is the perfect way for you to learn. Henry wont find out since he wont be coming by until he has to pick Edward up. Besides, aren't you his secret _best_ _friend_?" Carlisle teased me. I shot him a dirty look.

"Fine, _Carl_. But only if you get me a free pass from school, and you keep Jeff away from me." I bargained, even though I was jumping with joy on the inside. All that time I would get to spend with Edward…

"Deal." Carlisle said with a smile. Emmett snickered from the end of the bed.

"Edward and Bella, sittn in a tree, K I S S I N G-" I gave him an annoyed look.

"Emmett and Rosalie, doing it on the kitchen table, 1 2 3 4 5 6 times!" I shot back, and what little colour Emmett had in his face drained. His eyes widened and snapped over to Carlisle's. He let out a nervous laugh.

"Um, you know, school is really important no matter how many times you take it…Cya!" Emmett said, stammering over his words. He shot out of the room faster then humanly possible.

"We'll talk about this tonight young man!" Carlisle called after him. I snickered silently to myself while Carlisle frowned with a disgusted look on his face.

"Now I have to burn that table too. Honestly, what's wrong with a bed?" He mumbled to himself, shaking his head.

"You know, I once had an ant named Timmy…My mom stepped on him…poor guy…" Edward chuckled, winching as he shook his head.

"You have to stop moving your head." I told him softly, cupping his face in my palm. He leaned into my touch, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

"Bella…" He sighed contently before his breathing and heartbeat evened out.

"What the hell did you give him and where can I get it? That was fun." I said with a giddy smile. I don't know why my name coming from his lips made me smile, but it did. Carlisle gave me a knowing look before he stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'll call the school and let them know of the new arrangements." He told me, ignoring my question. He smiled at me before walking out of the room, whistling to himself.

I traced Edward's face with my index finger. Over his eyelids, his cheeks, chin, nose, _lips_…Edward mumbled my name again and smiled. I smiled too, kissing his cheek again. It was stubby, obviously not being shaved for a little while. It suited him fine though.

I knew this wasn't normal behaviour for friends, but I also knew that we weren't anything more then friends. Edward said he was going to marry me one day, but that was just the drugs talking. Edward was leaving, and I had decided that I would leave with him. I knew he would protest in the beginning, but he would just have to get used to it. For the first time ever, I was running away _with_ someone, and not _from_ everybody.

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**AN: I Just realised that I don't have a Beta...or I might have one, but I just forgot, which is most likely. Don't feel offended, I have memory problems! I even forgot my own name once, which was embarrassing, since I was meeting someone's parents.**

**I love you guys! I actually like you more then the ones over at Harry Potter fanficton, cuz your a lot nicer :)**

**Reivew's please! (No flames!)**


	9. Chapter 9

**So sorry for the hold up, but i kinda ran away from home and my laptop wasn't the first thing on my list to bring with me. Sorry guys, I'll try to be better from now on! No flames please!**

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--Bella--

Edward slept the rest of the day and through the night. I stayed by his side the whole time, just to make sure that Mary stayed away from the room; she was gossip number two in town, the first being Jessica Stanley's mother. No doubt that me working here as a nurse was all over town by now, and it had only been one day.

I heard Edward's breathing and heartbeat quicken slightly as he woke up, his green eyes fluttered open only seconds later.

"Good morning Edward, did you sleep well?" I asked him. He jumped slightly at the sound of my voice and looked around, which proved pointless, as he was practically blind without his glasses.

"Bella? What are you doing here?" He asked, confused. I raised my eyebrows as I handed him his glasses.

"I'm your nurse…" I said slowly, and to my delight, he blushed.

"Oh…are you okay? I don't really remember everything that happened yesterday…" He trailed off with a frown on his face. He slid his glasses on and turned to look at me with his now huge eyes.

"I'm fine, you braced my fall. Thank you." His frown deepened.

"But you weren't there…you were down by your own car. I was alone. How could you have gotten to me so fast?" Edward's eyes widened even more in confusion.

"You, you don't have a pulse…" He said slowly, and his gaze shot to my neck. I gave him a confused look, even though I was panicking on the inside.

"Bella you don't have a pulse, how the hell is that possible? And you didn't breath for over two minutes, and oh my music your eyes are changing color!" He said loudly, staring at me like I just turned into a waterproof watch. I stood from my chair and grabbed his hand. Surprisingly, he didn't pull away from my touch.

"Bella…what's going on?" He whispered, wincing slightly when he moved his head. I searched for an excuse, but didn't know what to say. I wanted to tell him, but I didn't know him that well. And if I told him he had to be turned…I couldn't do that to my family, or to him. If he had a chance at a human life, he should be able to take it without me screwing it up for him. As much as I loved being a vampire, I sometimes envied humans for having everything handed too them.

"Nothing is going on Edward, you just hit your head-," I stopped as soon as I looked into his eyes. They were staring at me with hurt, disbelief and anger.

"Don't lie to me Bella." He said sternly, his voice dangerously calm. I looked away from his face, ashamed. Someone once said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I think that was the case with Edward. His emotions were very easy to read.

"It's better if you don't know, Edward. For all of us. If I wanted you to know, I would've told you. But it doesn't only affect me; if I tell you, it would affect my entire family, so I can't. Trust me, your better off not knowing at all." I told him sadly, my eyes on his arm. I felt like a coward. I couldn't even look my best friend directly in the eyes.

"Okay," He said quietly. My eyes snapped up to his, and I stared at him in surprise.

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"Okay. If you don't want me to know, I won't pry. It's probably non of my business anyway. And I trust you." He said seriously, making me feel like an asshole. I did not deserve such a good friend. I gave him a hesitant smile, and sat down beside him on the bed. He scooted over and made space for me, so I laid down beside him, turning on my side so I was looking at his face.

"So, your going to marry me some day, are you?" I teased, changing the subject. Edward stiffened and looked at me frantically.

"What? Where did you hear that from?" He asked me, gulping noticeably. I grinned, showing off all my gleaming white teeth.

"You told Carlisle yesterday, or should I say, _Carl_?" I said with a laugh. His face drained of all color and he stared at me with horror.

"Oh no, you heard that? I thought it was all a bad dream. Please tell me I didn't say all of those things." He pleaded.

"Did you really have an ant named Timmy?" I asked as my answer. Edward groaned and closed his eyes, both of his cheeks flaring red.

"Yes…my moth-, _Elizabeth_, said that I couldn't have any pets, so one day when I was out with one of the maids, I found an ant and took it home with me. I called him Timmy and played with him for an hour before Elizabeth found out and killed him." He said, the red color going out of his face slowly. I grabbed his hand on the bed and started playing with his fingers.

"Your cold." Edward stated, and lifted the blanked that was around him and pulled it over me too before I could protest. Hesitantly, he put an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I noticed that he held his breath until I continued to play with his fingers like nothing happened. I didn't mind at all.

"Didn't know you liked animals. Giraffes too, apparently." I giggled. Edward gave a short chuckle, wincing slightly with his movements.

"Never had one of those, but I was obsessed with them when I was little. Ever since I saw one at the zoo." He confessed. I smiled, and lifted my head slightly so I could look up at him. He was staring down at me, his glasses slipping off his straight nose. I used my index finger to push them back into place. I gave him a small smile, and he smiled back down at me.

"Its good to hear that you were happy." I said quietly. Edward frowned, looking uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. He shook his head slightly, cringing again.

"And you have to stop moving your head, it will only make it worse." I said, waiting for him to tell me.

"Its nothing, don't worry about it." He said, attempting to smile. I was about to ask him again when the door opened and Carlisle walked in with a very surprised and knowing look on his face. I realized I was too preoccupied with talking to Edward to even hear my** 'father'** coming. I removed the blanket and jumped out of the bed quickly and sat down on the chair, straightening my shirt out.

"Good morning Edward, Bella. Did you sleep well?" He asked Edward, looking very amused. Edward was blushing various different shades, and I knew that if I were human, I would be too.

"Fine, thank you." Edward mumbled, giving me a sideways glance.

"Now, I'm just going to give you a daily check up to see if everything is okay, so if you could please take your shirt off…" Carlisle trailed off, inspecting his clipboard. He walked over to the Xrays and gave them another glance, which I knew was for show. He saw them yesterday and didn't need to see them more then once.

Edward took his glasses off and I helped him sit up on the bed to remove his shirt. He looked really uncomfortable, and I could understand why. Although he was bigger with muscles now, he was still skinny to the bone and had a lot of painful looking scars on his body.

I had seen them twice before, and it shocked me just as much, if not more, each time. How could anyone could treat Edward this way? He was one of the  
nicest people I had ever met, and when you've lived for over two hundred years, you meet a lot of people.

I gave him a huge smile, trying to show that I didn't care one bit about how he looked. He smiled back nervously.

Carlisle, on the other hand, was frowning deeply when he looked at Edward's body.

"Edward, I think we should report this." Carlisle said, gesturing to the wounds. I shot him a dirty look. Edward was going to run away with me, not get into legal crap that would take months. Henry would probably walk away without a scratch anyway, so what the hell was Carlisle doing? He knew that fact just as well as I did.

"No, really. It's not as bad as it looks. I'm just really clumsy. Fall down the stairs all the time, right Bella?" Edward asked me, pleading with his eyes to help him with his crappy lie. Carlisle raised his eyebrows and pointed to Edward's stomach where a shoe imprint was clearly visible.

"Right." I said, casting my eyes down.

"And when did the stairs give off shoe marks? Or belt buckle markings, for that matter. Edward, there is no point in lying to me. I know, and Bella knows. We just want to help you." Edward's face turned more frustrated.

"Please Carlisle, don't do anything about it. Just let it be, I'll do anything you ask, just don't turn him in or anything like that. _Please_."

Edward was now begging, looking up at Carlisle through his huge glasses. Carlisle stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face. I knew he was considering it, but I didn't know why.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I asked him, too fast and low for Edward to hear. Carlisle shot me a warning look, reminding me that I was walking on thin ice when it came to talking disrespectfully to him. I looked down with an angry expression on my face. I took a deep breath to control my temper. It would not do good to let my anger get the better of me, at least not with Edward here.

"I can't allow this to keep happening, Edward, I hope you understand that." Carlisle said finally.

"I thought you were bound to some sort of Doctor confidentiality thing." Edward said, scratching the back of his neck.

"I am, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to sit back and let this continue. Do you have any other relatives that might be interested in being your guardian?" Carlisle asked, sitting down in the other chair.

"Not that I know of." Edward answered honestly. He sucked at lying so it wasn't hard to figure out when he was doing it.

"Okay…could I talk to you as Carlisle and not as Dr. Cullen?" Carlisle asked suddenly, surprising me, as well as Edward. I gave him a questioning look, but he simply ignored me and looked intently at Edward.

"I guess." Edward said, looking at him curiously. Carlisle smiled and slumped down in the chair slightly, so he didn't look all that professional anymore.

"Well, to be honest, I want you out of that hell whole. I normally wouldn'this, but I know how much you mean to Bella, so I'm willing to help you with all I can." Carlisle said with a warm smile.

"But, if someone finds out you could lose your job; you don't know how much power Henry's got over people, Carlisle. This could get your family in trouble too." Edward stuttered.

I almost snorted at the idea. The only people Henry could control was that stupid police chief Charlie Swandels, who didn't have anything better tohan be someone's lap dog. True, Henry had a lot of money and bad friends who, if paid enough, could do a lot of damage. He was harmless against my family. But not against Edward.

"I'm willing to take that chance, Edward. And don't worry about my family; we can take care of ourselves. Besides, I know just who your father owns and doesn't own." Carlisle said with a hint of amusement in his eyes. Edward's brow furrowed, and he looked down at his stomach.

"But I don't want to ruin your lives. If you lose your job, Bella and the rest of your kids can't go to college, and you have to sell the house and

Carlisle put both of his hands up to stop all the babbling coming from Edward.

"I've thought everything through Edward, and you don't have to worry about that. I know what I'm doing. Trust me." Carlisle said, but the last part was more of a question than anything else. Edward stared back at him, and nodded slowly. Carlisle beamed back, making me smile.

"Alright, we need to look at our options here. What we can do, and how we can do it. Any ideas?" Carlisle asked. I stared at him curiously. I'd never seen him act like this before. So young and exited. He was always the calm one in control of everything. He was acting like, well, _me_. And that was slightly disturbing.

Edward looked fairly uncertain at this point, and I could understand why. He didn't know if Carlisle was faking it or not, or if he could trust him at all.

"Edward, it's okay. Carlisle isn't going to say anything to anyone. I swear on bumblebees he wont." I promised him with a kind smile. Edward smiled back at me hesitantly and took a deep breath.

"Well…I mean I, I was planning on running away in a few weeks…" Edward stumbled over his words, refusing to look at me.

"Bella, I'm sorry, but I mean I've been thinking about it and it's better for all of us if I just disappear. Your probably going to go to college and then your going to get a job, get married and have a lot of kids. I'll only hold you back if I don't leave." He explained in a rush. He didn't look up at me though, which irritated me, seeing as I was smiling. Carlisle was smiling at Edward fondly with a puzzled expression on his young face.

"Edward please, I'm not mad at you. We'll see each other again, trust me on that. I'm not going to college, and I can't have kids. Marriage seems a little overrated if you ask me, so I'm not doing that ether. I want to be there for you though." I told him, and I realized that everything I just said was a hundred percent true.

The prospect of marriage had always frightened me, even when I was human. It wasn't that I had bad experience with married people. As far as I could remember my parents were happily married to one another. But the idea of being tied down to someone frightened me, and made me feel trapped. I didn't want that.

Edward's face fell slightly, and I wondered why, but he hid it quickly behind a mask of worry.

"I'm going to run away and hide, Bella. I don't think we'll ever see each other again…" He said, looking at me like someone had stomped on Timmy the ant all over again. It saddened me too, just thinking about never seeing Edward again. More then I thought it would, but I brightened up again, thinking about the surprise Edward was going to get when he found out that I had tagged along.

"Don't be so sure about that Edward Masen." I said with a wink. I could tell by his eyes that he didn't believe me, but he smiled anyway, pretending to think so too.

"Well, lets go with that. What have you planned so far?" Carlisle asked, breaking the short awkward silence.

"I thought it would be best if I pretended to go to school, but just took the car and ran away instead. That way, it will take him a couple of hours until he understands that I've gone. I also thought I'd dye my hair or something and get some new clothes…" Edward said quietly, waiting for approval.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. But your father knows what your car looks like, so you'll have to borrow one of ours. Emmett can meet you before school and change cars with you, so yours will be staying in the school parking lot. Alice has some hair dye at home that you can take, and Jasper has some old clothes he was going to throw out anyway. How is your money situation?" Carlisle asked him, folding his hands neatly in his lap. Edward was staring at him with bigger eyes then I thought possible.

"I-I can't take one of your cars!" Edward stated, shocked. I hid my face behind my hands to hide my mirth. A car was nothing to us, nor was money.

"Of course you can. I'm a car collector, and I have six or seven cars I don't use right now. How about we switch cars? I'll take yours and you can take mine." Carlisle proposed.

"But what if Henry takes it back? I can't assure you that you'll get the car." Edward pointed out, and I cursed his perspectives. Nothing went by him.

"Don't worry about that Edward. Take the car, alright? It means nothing to me. How much money do you have?" Carlisle asked, and Edward put both of his hands up as in surrender.

"I'll agree on the car, but no way are you giving me money too. I have enough to last for a couple of months." He lied, which both of us could see.

"Don't worry about money Carlisle, I'll make sure he has enough." I said, to low for Edward to hear.

"Alright." Carlisle said with a smile. Edward nodded, relived.

"So, where are you heading?" I asked him, faking my sadness. One of the flowers in the pot turned from red to yellow in my happiness, and Carlisle threw me a sharp look.

"It's better if I don't tell you…" Edward trailed off, looking apologetic. There was a knock on the door, and seconds later Mary walked in with a tray of disgusting human food.

"Bella dear, you forgot to get Mr. Masen here his lunch. You need to remember stuff like that if your ever going to be a nurse, you know." She scolded me. I smiled back sweetly and pointed to the full lunch tray that was lying on the bedside table.

"I already brought it in, _dear_. So don't you worry about a thing, _darling_. I got it covered." I said with fake enthusiasm, while what I really wanted to do was push the damn food down her throat.

She looked slightly shocked, and her cheeks turning red when she saw Carlisle sitting in one of the chairs.

"Dr. Cullen! Why, I didn't see you sitting there. What a lovely surprise! Don't you have your rounds now?" She asked, curiously. Carlisle gave her a tight smile.

"I'm done with my rounds, Mary. Thank you for asking." He answered her politely, although I could hear the tension in his voice. Mary got a dazed look on her face, and she continued to stare at Carlisle with big doe eyes.

"Did you need something Mary?" Carlisle asked her with a sigh. The elderly nurse snapped out of it and blushed once more.

"Uh, no. I'm fine, thank you. Bella, dear, do you have everything under control?" She asked me, trying to save some of her dignity.

"Everything is fine, thank you." I answered with a smile. She nodded once and walked out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Edward asked into the silence. I couldn't stop the small giggles that escaped my lips as I gave Carlisle a mischievous grin.

"Someone, and I'm not saying any names, _**Mary**_, has a little crush on our very own Dr. Carlisle Cullen." I said with a laugh, looking at my father innocently. Edward chuckled too, but he at least had the decency to try and hide it.

"Very funny, Bella. Mary gets easily distracted; I'm sure she just spaced out on us for a few moments there." Carlisle tried to explain.

"Oh, I'm sure she spaced out alright." I said, poking my tongue out at him. He surprised me at doing it back, before he turned back to Edward.

"Now, no more dilly dallying around. Here's the plan. You pretend like your going to school, but on the way, Emmett meets you and you switch cars. In the trunk of the car you'll find clothes and hair dye. See if you can find a lake inside a forest or something like that, and dye your hair there." Carlisle said, ignoring me completely. Edward nodded his head in understanding, wincing slightly.

I stood from my place and walked over to the IV. I filled it up with some painkillers; enough to make him drowsy, but not enough to get high, like he was yesterday. I let them talk as I tidied up inside the small hospital room.

"I'll need a new ID, and a new history, if I ever meet some people and they ask me questions about my life. It'll look suspicious if I can't answer them." Edward pointed out, and I nodded my head in agreement, even though I excluded myself from the conversation.

"True, and you'll eventually need more money, and a place to stay…" Carlisle said, looking thoughtful. His butterscotch eyes lit up suddenly and he turned to look at me with exited young eyes.

"Bella, could you get some empty blood bags? Edward here just volunteered to be a blood donor." He said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"What? That's how I'm going to get money?" Edward asked in disbelief.

"No, that's how we're going to make sure your father never gets a hold of you ever again." I said, catching on to the plan.

"What are you guys talking about?" Edward asked, confused. I let Carlisle fill him in on the details as I ran down the hallway to get the equipment I needed. This was going to be more exiting then I thought.

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bronzehairedgirl620- she was the one who Beta-ed the chapter! Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Just so you guys know, Edward isn't going to lose his glasses. They play a very important part in the story- at least they're important to me :P**

**READ AND ENJOY!**

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--Edward--

"You got everything?" Carlisle asked me. Bella came back into the room with a huge grin on her gorgeous face.

"Yeah, I guess. I can still see a lot of problems with the plan though, like-" I was about to point out a big flaw, but Carlisle held both of his hands up to silence me.

"No, you know your part so let us do ours. Alright?" He said with a smile. I nodded and gave him a little smile in return.

"I wish I could repay you for all of this somehow. Who knows, someday I might." I said with a laugh. Bella took my arm and smeared some stuff over it before she hooked up some cords to another machine. I didn't even want to know. Blood didn't bother me all that much. It couldn't when I was always bleeding somewhere. But I didn't like it ether. Blood was blood. Something you needed to survive. And that was all it was in my eyes.

Bella pricked my vain with the needle and the blood thingy started pumping. I looked up at her face as a distraction. Her lovely butterscotch eyes were once again black, and she wasn't breathing. Her eyes followed my bloods every move as it was sucked out of my arm into the tube and on its way to the blood bag, ever so slowly.

"Bella, could you get me some papers on my desk please?" Carlisle asked her lightly, but I heard the warning in his tone. I knew they weren't human, and Vampire was the most logical thing coming back to me. Especially now, seeing Bella so transfixed on my blood.

"Sure…" She breathed out, licking her lips, not really listening to what her father was saying. She stood there, watching my blood as it came into the bag.

"Bella…" Carlisle said, clearing his throat.

"You know, you guys don't have to be so secretive in front of me. I know you're not human." I said casually. Carlisle's head whipped in my direction.

"Oh?" He asked me. I nodded my head, looking over at Bella who was almost drooling. Her eyes raged from wild looking to guilt and then back, but she never lifted her gaze from the tube.

"I probably wouldn't have been so suspicious if it wasn't for Jacob's story. I guess I'm telling you this since your being so nice to me, I feel I need to be honest with you. You can trust me, you know." I added as an afterthought. Carlisle smiled warmly and shook his head.

"You aren't backing down from this, are you?" Carlisle asked me with a huge sigh. I smiled slightly, but shook my head.

"I could just let it be and never ask about it again, if that's what you want. But you know as well as I do that you guys aren't human, so there's no point in lying about that." I pointed out. I wasn't so certain though, on the inside. It was more of Carlisle's reaction that would point me in the right direction.

Carlisle stared at me for a long while, his wise eyes, so full of ancient knowledge, too old for his young face, gazed at me with a puzzled look. I squirmed slightly under his intense gaze.

Bella's head snapped up, and she gave me a tight smile.

"I need to fill out some paperwork, excuse me." She said smoothly, not looking at either of us. She walked out of the room before ether of us had the chance to say anything.

"Edward, for your own safety, I think you should just let it drop. It's not that I don't trust you, because I honestly believe that you wouldn't tell a soul. But as I said before, for your own safety later in life, it's better that you don't know anything, alright?" Carlisle said finally. I nodded my head, slightly disappointed. But on the other hand, he had confirmed my suspicion about them not being human. And he didn't deny the vampire part ether.

"Alright, all we need now is a few weeks, and for you to get better. You could go home now if you wanted, but I'm betting on that you want to stay for a little while longer." Carlisle said with a raised eyebrow. I nodded my head sheepishly. He chuckled and walked out of the room.

I glanced down at the blood sucking tube thing. The blood loss was making me a little dizzy, and I wondered when Belle would come back.

"Ah, knew that girl couldn't be a nurse. She might have the looks, boy, but she doesn't have the nerves to stomach the sight of blood. I'm telling you, dear, that girl should just be a model like everyone expects her to. It would save us all a lot of trouble." Mary said with a scowl on her face. I felt my temper flare slightly, but told myself to calm down.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked her as politely as I could. She seemed surprised at my tone.

"Why Miss Cullen of course! Heaven knows _that_ girl shouldn't be working in a hospital." She scolded me, as if it was my fault.

"Why not, she's done an excellent job so far?" I questioned as she pulled the blood tube thingy out of my arm. I knew that wasn't true, and Mary knew that too. She raised both of her eyebrows at me.

"I wouldn't exactly call the job excellent when she had to send me in here to finish what she started." Mary huffed impatiently.

"Dear, I don't expect _you_ to talk badly about that girl, everyone has a crush on her, always have and always will, so don't try to be a hero and stand up for her, I don't want to hear it. But let me make it clear to you, that girl has nothing to do here." Mary said, pointing a finger at my surprised face.

"That girl," I said through clenched teeth. "has a name. _Bella_. And she might not be good at her job, but that doesn't give you the right to talk bad about her in front of her patient." I told her sharply. I would be lying if I disagreed with Mary. Bella wasn't…_good_ at her job, to put it lightly. She mixed my medicin and lost lots of important papers. But she tried at the very least, and that had to count for something.

Mary straightened up and glanced down at me, the blood bag in one hand and the tube sucking blood thing, which for the life of me I couldn't put a name on, in the other.

"Like I said, everyone's in love with her. Only natural to stand up for her." She said in an annoyingly knowing way. I felt my eyes narrow slightly.

"I couldn't care less if Bella Cullen was a fat _cow_! I don't care about her looks, only her personality. Which is much better than yours, that much I can tell you." I told her loudly, glaring up at the woman, who looked back at me, stunned.

"Now she might suck at her job, be horrible at it even, but she's trying at least. And she's doing everything without complaining, she's making all the old people here smile and laugh without even trying. And what about you? You might be good at your job, but what good is that when you walk around bitching to everyone about everything!" I yelled, and then slapped a hand on my mouth. I cannot believe I just said that.

Apparently, Mary couldn't ether, as we just stared at each other in shock. Bella walked into the room with a small smile on her face, like she always had, but her now butterscotch eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Well…" Mary breathed, and then turned sharply, stalking out of the room angrily. We could both hear her at the end of the hall screaming orders at the other unsuspecting nurses.

"So I suck at my job, huh?" Bella asked with a laugh. I chuckled and nodded my head.

"Yeah, a little." I told her honestly. She grinned and leaned down, her face mere inches from mine. The smile slid off my face as I stared into her deep eyes. Her smile faltered too as she leaned forward even more, both of her arms going to either side of my face. She yanked the pillow roughly, making me lean forward even more.  
I looked from her eyes to her lips, and she was looking at me too with the same intensity. She was about to lean forward, but a throat was cleared behind Bella. She was blocking my view, so I couldn't see who it was.

Bella closed her eyes for a second before opening them again, plastering a big smile, letting her sweet breath fan out across my face. She leaned back and patted my pillow slightly.

"All better." She said in a normal tone. I knew my face was flustered, and my glasses were slightly askew. I pushed them up the bridge of my nose with my index finger and straightened up in the bed, looking up at Emmett, Alice and Jasper, who were all staring at us with surprised eyes.

"Hey guys." Bella said jumping up on my bed. I scotched over and she sat with her back to the pillow, her whole side touching mine. I tried not to focus to much on it, seeing as both of her Big, _BIG_ brothers were in the room.

"Hello." Alice said smoothly, dancing over to one of the chairs. She had a huge basket with her, propped with flowers, candy and magazines, and some clothes.

"OH! By the way, I bought a few items for you Edward. Hope you don't mind. But I just couldn't walk past a gift shop without shopping in it. That's just a crime." She said seriously, making all of us laugh. Emmett was sitting on the other side of the bed, while Jasper took a seat beside Alice. It looked like he was holding his breath, and his eyes kept drifting back to my prick.

I took pity on him and reached over to the nightstand, ripping off a little cotton ball and some tape, placing it over the tiny, invisible wound.

"You shouldn't use money on me Alice…" I said hesitantly, although I was grateful. And I did wonder what chocolate tasted like. I'd never had it before, since my mother wouldn't allow it.

"Nonsense! It was nothing, really." She said with a wave of her hand, digging through the basket. She started putting the flowers in vases around the room, humming to herself.

"There's no point in trying to give it back to her, she won't listen anyway. Trust me, I've tried." Bella said, sending an annoying look to her sister who just laughed.

"So… You're planning on marring my sister?" Emmett said, suddenly becoming serious. I groaned in embarrassment, putting both of my hand over my face, covering my blush. What kind of guy blushes?! Ugh, just my luck.

"I don't know why I said all of those things…" I mumbled over Alice's laughter.

"Emmett, leave him alone." Bella said with a giggle, placing a hand on my knee. My heart gave a little jump and I pulled my hands away from my face.

"No, I'm your big brother, and it is my duty to know this guy's intentions with you. I have to protect you." Emmett said, flexing his huge muscles. I was a little surprised over the fact that I wasn't scared of him. At all. But I guess I knew what sort of pain being beaten up could bring, so I knew that it wasn't something I couldn't handle. Not that I thought Emmett was going to beat me up.

Jasper rolled his eyes at his brother, dragging one hand over his face in exasperation.

"What Emmett is trying ask is if all you want to do with Bella is shag her and leave." Jasper said bluntly, but his eyes were full of amusement. I raised my eyebrows at them, a little stunned that they thought so little of me, even though I could see that they were joking. At least Jasper was. Emmett was actually looking serious.

I glanced over at Bella, who was glaring at Emmett, who was looking at me.

"Well…that _was_ my original plan, but now that you've caught me…" I said, pretending to be deep in thought. Bella smacked my arm lightly, laughing, and I laughed along with her.

"No, I'm not going to shag your sister and just leave. We're just friends." I said the last part without much enthusiasm, making an awkward silence in the room.

"Well that's a relief." Emmett said, making Alice roll her eyes.

"Edward don't listen to him, he just wants to make fun of you." She said, dancing over to Jasper and plopping down in his lap instead of her chair. She pulled out a black sip-up sweater from the basket.

"Do you like it? I think it's your size too. You're always walking around in a T-shirt, it's a miracle that you haven't gotten sick yet." She said, rolling her eyes. I felt a pang of sadness. She had used money on a gift that I couldn't even use.

"Thanks Alice, it's really nice. But…I won't be able to wear it." I said with a frown, not knowing if they knew about the plan or not.

"But you will when you run away silly. I just wanted to get your approval now, really. Oh, I need to ask you something important, black hair, or blond hair?" She asked, holding up to bottles of hair dye. I stared at her, bewildered.

"I called her and told her the plan earlier." Bella whispered in my ear. I nodded my head and pointed at the black one.

"Dude, you're gonna look like Harry Potter!" Emmett exclaimed, breaking into loud, obnoxious laughter. Jasper chuckled and glanced from the hair dye to me and back again.

"How about you blend it and make it brown or something? That would look more natural." Jasper said, grabbing both of the bottles, reading on the back. Alice's eyes lit up.

"Yes! That's a great idea, thank you jazzy." she said with a smile. I shook my head in disbelief.

"I can't believe that you guys are doing this for me." I said, my voice filled with gratitude. Everyone smiled kindly, and Bella squeezed my knee, making my heart pick up its pace. Emmett smirked slightly, in a sort of knowing way.

"Oh stop being so ridiculous, of course we'll help out a friend." Alice said exasperated with me. I smiled slightly, my heart swelling with the thought of actually having friends. It sucked that I had to leave them.

"Still, I've acted like an ass. I really don't deserve your help at all." I went on. Emmett rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Yes, yes, we _know_. You acted like you had a stick up your butt, we get it! But now that Bella here oh _so_ graciously pulled that stick out of your behind, we don't need to think about that anymore, now do we? Besides, we know why you acted like that, so don't worry about it." Emmett ranted, and I was surprised when he didn't take a huge breath.

"Well...ok then." I said, chuckling.

We spent the rest of the day discussing what I would do when I'd gotten away, possible places for me to go and so on. Finally, after 18 years of solitude, I had friends. The sad thing about that? I had to leave them in just a few weeks.

* * *

**AN: I know I haven't updated forever, and that's because I've finished up with school. I might not update for a month, cuz I'm going on vecation to USA! Yay me!**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for such a short chapter, and I promise, I'll make the next one super long just for you guys, honest. And I know it was sort of just a filler chapter, which I too find annoying. **

**WOW, you guys gave me 77 Review's on the last chapter! 77 Frikking review's! I've NEVER gotten so many before EVER! **

**I've always wanted to get 1000 Review's on a story, and I think it might be possible with u guys. I'm really happy about that! **

**I'll try to update before I leave, promise, I'll try! **

**Review again please? I really, really wanna go for a 1000 For the whole story! That would be awesome!**


	11. Chapter 11

--Edward--

"Do I really have to go?" I whined again as I slipped the green T-shirt over my head.

"Edward please, you've been here for a week. I can't push it any longer then that, which you know. I'm sorry, okay? You know I don't want to send you back to that monster." Bella said as she packed up my stuff. Which was a whole lot more then when I came.

"I know, I just…This has been the best week of my entire life. I've never had so much fun before, and I don't want it to end." I said with a frown, scratching the back of my head. Bella sent me a kind smile, making my breath hitch slightly. She walked over to me slowly and put both of her arms around my waist, leaning her head on my chest.

"And when you run away, just think about all the amazing years your going to have." She said optimistically. I could feel her voice vibrate through my body, starting to get cold from being so close to me.

"What the…Bella, wasn't that flower over there just blue? Now it's yellow, and I could of sworn Alice came with Red flowers in the first place…" I said, pointing to one of the flowers on the table. I didn't mean to change the subject, but that was really strange.

"Oh…It's an Asian plant, and it changes colours as it dies. See, it starting to turn a little brown at the edges?" Bella said smoothly. Too smoothly, and I knew she was lying.

"Right." I said, not convinced at all. She gave me a sad smile and fished out her cell phone. My shoulders slumped and my chin met my chest.

"Only a few more weeks now Edward." She whispered sadly. I nodded and took the small silver phone that probably cost more then my car. I dialled the dreaded number. Henry answered on the second ring.

"Henry Masen speaking." The gruff voice answered.

"Sir," I greeted him. I heard a silent grunt on the other end.

"So, finally decided to not be a sissy anymore, boy?" He asked me mockingly. Bella's eye's tightened, and she crossed her arms over her chest. _Stop staring at her chest you idiot!_ I told myself, looking away quickly.

"Yes sir."

"Good. I've come up with a new training technique that should make you bigger and stronger faster, and I want to start on that as soon as possible. Is that understood boy?" I closed my eye's and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Yes sir." I said again.

"I'll send a cab to come and get you." And with that, he hung up the phone. I sighed and opened my eyes, handing the phone back to Bella. She snapped it shut and put it in her pocked. I sipped up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. It was much lighter then I expected it to be.

"I've packed away most of your stuff in my car, so we can put it into the one your running away with. But I did put a chocolate bar in your bag for later tonight, since you love them so much." She said with a giggle. I felt my cheeks heat up slightly, but not much. I'd been stuffing my face with sweets for the whole week.

"Thank you Bella." I said, giving her a quick hug before we started to walk out of the room.

"You know, I actually like it when you have some stubble on your face." Bella blurted out. I looked down at her, a little surprised.

"Oh?" I asked her, rubbing my now very, very hairy chin. I hadn't shaved for a week, and it showed.

"Well, not as much as there is now, but you know, when you haven't shaved for a couple of day's. It looks manly." She said with a musicale laugh, and I found myself laughing with her.

"Well, you know, I try." I said snobbishly, earning a giggle from her.

We stopped just before we came out into the waiting room. "I guess I'll have to go back to 'ignoring' you from now on, huh?" I asked her sadly, pushing some of her hair behind her ear. We'd grown a lot closer over the last week, something I was delighted about. But it didn't help the heart clenching feeling I got whenever I thought of leaving her, which I knew I had to do.

I stroked her cheek with my knuckles, and she smiled up at me.

"Edward Masen?" Someone from the waiting room called. I dropped my hand and turned in that direction. Bella put both of her hands at the back of my neck, so I turned my head towards her instead. I was surprised when she kissed the corned of my mouth.

"Um…I was going to kiss your cheek but, um, you kinda turned your head…" She stuttered around. I could feel my cheeks flaring up, but I couldn't seem to care. My heart beat a thousand miles a minute and the smile on my face threatened to crack my skull in two.

"I don't mind." I said with a laugh, giving her a quick squeeze before practically skipping out of the hospital. I could hear her laughter as I danced out the door.

The long drive home was too short in my opinion, and I found myself longing to go back to the hospital, to hold Bella in my arms again. Yes, I'll admit, I did have a crush on her. But how could I not? She was amazing, kind, smart, funny-

"Kid, I aint got all day, get out would you!" The cab driver growled impatiently.

"I'm sorry sir, how much-?" He cut me off impatiently.

"Your old man paid already, not get out!" He yelled, and I scrambled out of the car faster then you can say cracked up monkey pot.

I could see Henry in the training room, staring at me as I walked up the driveway. He was smiling a cold, cruel smile, holding a leather whip in his hand. I thanked music that it was a Sunday and that I had to go to school tomorrow. At least I could get a break from training, and let my wounds heal. I hadn't even gotten them yet and I could already feel the pain that was sure to come.

"Boy, go up and unpack and get down her in ten minutes sharp." He told me, holding the whip out threateningly.

I gulped and hurried up to my bedroom. It wasn't just any sort of whip, it was one of those old antique once, that they used on slaves. I could feel the sweat running down my neck, and my hands became slippery. I'd seen what happened to people who got whipped on TV. My mother had made me watch it just before she whipped me with a chain.

It was one of the worst kinds of torture, something that could kill you. But I knew Henry wasn't kind enough to kill me. He'd want me to suffer. I put my bag on the floor and shaved my face quickly, glad to get rid of all the hair.

I checked my clock. I had 4 more minutes. There was a knocking on my window, and my head whipped up to stare into Bella's big, butterscotch eyes. She looked scared and angry. Alice was there too, sitting on a branch a little bit further away. I opened my window silently to let them in. I'd long since stopped to ask them what they were, knowing that they wouldn't tell me and having the nagging suspicion that they were, indeed, vampires.

Bella scrambled through and hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back, clinging to her as if she was going to make everything better, which I knew she couldn't do.

"We were spying on your house, and we saw the whip…Is he really going to use it on you?" Bella asked, gasping slightly. Her breathing was shallow, and she was clutching me tightly. I nodded my head, tightening my grip around her small form.

"That monster…" Alice whispered viciously. I started rubbing Bella's back, and stroking her hair.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just a few more weeks right?" I whispered to her, trying to make her feel better. Bella's form was racked with a sob, and she was shaking slightly. Alice had walked into my bathroom doing buttons knows what.

"But, but I can't let him d-do this to you!" She whispered harshly, looking helpless.

"There's nothing you can do for me now Bella, but with helping me escape your doing more than I could ever ask of you. I'll be fine, okay? Just a few scratches." I said, trying to smile. Bella's head snapped up, and she glared at me.

"Just a few scratches?! Edward, that man is going to rip your fucking back open!" She hissed angrily. I sighed and kissed her forehead, not caring if I shouldn't do that.

"I know." I said, realising her. She grabbed my arm, looking at me pleadingly.

"Come on, lets leave now. I can't let this happen to you Edward, _please_." She whispered desperately. Alice came out of the bathroom and gently pried Bella's fingers off of my arm.

"He has to go Bella, he can't run away tonight. He will survive, okay? Everything will be fine in the end." Alice whispered, taking Bella in her arms. I noticed the plants in my room dying so fast that I could see it happen.

"Go, you have other things to think about." Alice said. I nodded, and tried giving Bella a reassuring smile, which I'm sure looked more like a grimace. I closed the door behind me, seeing Bella crumble to the floor before it closed completely.

I walked down the stairs and into the training room with shaking legs. Henry stood there with the whip in one hand and his signature cane in the other.

"Well, I must say I'm surprised, you've still got 30 seconds left." He said in a mocking tone. I straightened up, knowing that it wasn't a praise.

"So, you think just because your early, you wont get punished as bad, huh? Don't you think I know who your nurse was? Little miss _Cullen_? Didn't I tell you to stay away from her boy?" Henry said, tightening his hold on the whip.

"Yes sir." I said as clearly as I could.

"Why did you not demand another nurse boy?" He snapped, walking around me like a predator.

"They were short on nurses, sir. Nurse Mary did a lot of work too. Miss Cullen was just an intern, sir." I explained as calmly as I could. I could see him nodding out of the corner of my eye.

"Take off your shirt boy." I did as I was told, flinging the shirt to the other side of the room. I expected to get whipped at once, but he surprised me by walking over to one of the weights and gesturing for me to lay down. Again, I did as I was told.

We worked like that for hours, harder then ever. He didn't even let me have breaks this time, only throwing water on me when I was sweating to much, claiming I was stinking up the place, which I don't doubt for a minute that I did.

"Stop." Henry said suddenly when I was hanging upside down, taking sit-ups. I stopped, to tired to care about all the blood rushing to my head. I closed my eyes and let my arms drop on each side of me.

I heard it before I felt it. He had whipped me on the side of my hip, and blood was trickling out of the little wound. I gasped in pain as my eyes snapped open, staring at him in surprise. Both of my legs where hanging from the sealing, wrapped up tightly in rope, so I couldn't get away from him ether. Actually, I couldn't get down from this thing without help.

"Don't you think I know you planned on landing your sorry ass in the hospital? Get away from mean old daddy-o? Answer me you filth!" He yelled, saliva trickling down his chin. He wiped it away roughly.

"No, sir, not at all, I-" But I didn't get to finish, because he whipped me on the cheek, and I could actually feel the leather grazing my teeth. I gave a small cry of pain, feeling my cheek. The whip had gone through.

Henry was staring at me with wild, big eyes, his whole form shaking with anger.

"You. Are. _PATHETIC_!" He screamed, yelling every word between every blow to my back.

"No food today or tomorrow, and you can thank yourself for that. I'll know if you've eaten anything, so don't even try it boy." Henry growled.

"Yes sir." I gasped out, And tried to relax my mouth as much as possible. My wound was hurting like hell. I whimpered as I fell to the ground, landing hard on my back, where conveniently all my wounds were.

"Get up, you're bleeding on the carpet." Henry said over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

It took me a few minutes, but I finally managed to stumble my way up the stairs and into my bedroom. I walked past Bella and Alice and into the bathroom, shedding my clothes down to my boxers and stepping into the shower, turning the water on. I gave a loud yell, which I'm sure Henry heard, and a smaller hiss as the water turner red as it ran down my body.

"Edward…" Bella whispered, opening the shower door, staring at me with pity and anger. I turned the water off and stumbled my way past her, laying down on the warm tile floor.

"Alice, can you get me something to wash his face with?" Bella whispered so quietly I almost didn't hear her. Something wet and warm, like cotton, started stroking away the blood around my cheek.

"Edward, I think you need stitches on your cheek. I can see into your mouth…" Bella whispered with a shaky voice. I glanced up at her and shook my head.

"No, I can't do anything about it because he'd know that I got help. Just put a band aid over and I'm sure It'll be fine." I mumbled, to tired to keep my eyes open.

"Alice go home okay? I can take care of this." Bella said absently, stroking my hair as she patched up my cheek the best she could.

"Edward, I'm so sorry. It was so horrible, oh I wish I could of done something, and I would, but Alice wouldn't let me. Damn him, I hate him so, _so_ much for doing this to you." She whispered, kissing my forehead softly before she put a towel under my head and started working on my back.

"Just three more weeks now…" I mumbled, hissing slightly as she put some stuff on my wounds.

"Three weeks? Well okay, I'll talk to Carlisle about it for you, if you want, well, its not like you can talk to him yourself." She rambled.

"Do you, um, maybe want to change before you go to bed?" Bella asked hesitantly, and despite all the pain I was in, and despite my shitty day, I managed to blush and chuckle.

"Yeah, that would be nice…If you could help me up…?" I asked her, and she grabbed my hand quickly, pulling me up so I was sitting on my bum.

She walked out of the room, and I heard her rummaging through some of my drawers, I put a hand over my eyes in embarrassment, thinking about Bella of all creatures going through my underwear drawer.

"Found one!" She said happily, seemingly fine it. I mumbled a quick thank you as she threw it over to me.

"Do you, uh, you know…need any help?" She asked me. I chuckled, ignoring the pain in my cheek as I did so.

"No Bella, I'll be fine." I told her with a lopsided smile, which I'm thankful for having. I can't imagine smiling with my bad side, even smiling like this hurt.

She nodded her head and turned on her heal, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her. I changed out of my wet boxer into a dry new one. It was weird, having Bella in my bedroom. But not in a bad way, and she helped me think about something else other then my wounded body.

I threw the towel and clothes into the hamper, which I noted was starting to fill up. I walked into my bedroom, and straight to my closet where I pulled out an oversized T-shirt. I slipped it over my head, gasping slightly when it came in contact with my skin. Turning around slowly, I walked over to the bed, laying down slowly on my stomach. Bella laid down beside me hesitantly, staring at me with big, black doe eyes.

"I'm sorry Edward." She whispered, and I was surprised by the fact that she wasn't crying. Winching, I put one of my arms around her, pulling her as close to me as possible. Bella stroked my cheek, staring at me in wonder.

"Even now, when you're in so much pain, _you_ end up comforting _me_." She said with a tiny shake of the head. I smiled slightly, my left cheek hurting.

"Honestly, I think you need more comforting then I do at the moment. I hate to see you so sad." I whispered, every word hurting my sore mouth. I could feel some blood trickling down the inside of my cheek. I swallowed it down quickly, trying to ignore the revolting taste.

Bella gave a delicate snort.

"Sleep, Edward. We've got school tomorrow, you need your rest." She said, stroking my hair out of my eyes, and pushing my glasses into place.

"What about you? Don't you need your rest too?" I asked her, tired, but refusing to go to sleep yet. She gave me mischievous smile, winking at me.

"I'm going to sleep here with you. I'll get plenty of rest, don't you worry your pretty little head about that." There was a silence, and I noticed that the dead flowers in my room were getting some colour back, looking more alive now then when I left.

"Bella, what's wrong with my flowers?" I asked her. Her eyes tightened slightly.

"Why would you ask me that?" She questioned casually. Too casually if your name's Bella Cullen.

"Because when you were crying, my plants were dying all over the place. I could even see it happening, like on TV when the process is speed up. Does that have anything to do with you, perhaps?" I tried to be teasing so I could think about something else other then the pain on my face and back. Bella's nose wrinkled slightly.

"You're too damn perspective…It all has to do with the secret, so I'm sorry to say that I can't tell you." Bella said reluctantly. I sighed, because that was the answer I had expected.

"Are you mad?" She asked me after a brief silence. My eyes snapped to her face.

"No, why?" I asked her. She seemed to think it through.

"Because, I know all your secrets, heck my whole family knows. And I also know that it's a secret you wanted to keep a secret but now we know so _technically_ its not _really_ a secret anymore. And we have a big secret too, but we wont tell you ours. Are you angry about that, I'd be so mad I'd throw egg's at our house and put fire on dog poo on our doorstep, and I'd probably spray paint our cars too." She rambled, almost not breathing. I stared at her with surprise and amusement. If it was something I'd learned over the weeks I'd known Bella, and something I liked, it was her random ramblings. She had something to ramble about every day, and I lover every minute of it.

"No, I'm not mad about that. My secret isn't as important as yours anyway, probably." I said with a small chuckle, winching slightly. Bella's eye's grew slightly hard.

"Of course your secret is just as important! The only reason you don't know ours yet is because someone stuffed a curling iron up Rosalie's ass and forgot to pull it out again, which in my opinion is very, _very_ unfair for the rest of us. And it's keeping you safe. Human ignorance is bliss, never forget that." She said sternly. I gave a chuckle and closed my eyes.

"Whatever you say." I mumbled, and I felt Bella take my glasses of off me. I pulled the blanket around us more tightly before passing out from exhaustion.

--Bella--

Finally, he fell asleep. Oh, to know that sick monster was just downstairs…I wanted to torture him, rip his balls off and make him eat them.

I would have my revenge on that man. Just not yet.

Making sure Edward was sleeping, I slipped out of the bed and sat down on the branch outside his window, pulling out my cell phone as I did so.

"Carlisle?" I asked when someone picked up on the second ring. Alice probably wasn't home, or it would have been picked up at once.

"It's Esme dear, is everything alright? Alice told me what Mr. Masen did to Edward, is he okay?" My mother, who was younger then me, asked me, concerned.

"No, everything is not okay. Edward's not okay, _I'm_ not okay. We can't wait, mom. This is getting out of hand. We have to act soon or he'll die." I said with a sob, trying to keep it together.

"Bella you know what Alice said, we have to wait just a few more weeks." Esme said patiently. I growled into the phone, something I rarely did out of anger.

"I can see through his cheek! And his back is practically ripped open. We can't wait anymore, so let me talk to Carlisle." I said sternly.

"Bella?" Carlisle's calm voice floated through the phone. I sighed in relief.

"We have to do something, or Edward's going to die. At least do something so he can't hurt him anymore. Please, I can't keep watching him suffer and do nothing about it." I whispered, hating the fact that my voice still broke.

Carlisle sighed, and I could almost see him running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Bella, you know what Alice said would happen if we acted now. I'll see what I can do, alright?" Instead of answering, I crushed the phone in my hand, throwing it into the woods. I turned around and jumped into Edward's bedroom again. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the sleeping figure on the bed. Gracefully, I walked over to the bed and sank down beside it, resting my head on his pillow. Such a hansom, sweet boy, and he had to suffer out of no reason at all. I leaned my head in closer, my lips only millimetres from his, before I pulled back abruptly.

It wasn't right to steel a kiss when he didn't feel the same way.

It was strange to be in love again. Yes, I was in love. Again. Only this time, I think it was the real thing. Last time had been…different. I think it was more out of the fact that he was my creator, and I was so grateful towards him. I had loved him, but I don't think I ever was _in_ love with him. Not really anyway.

Oliver Buck Woodrow. Ah, I could still picture the perfect winning smile, the gorgeous dark brown curls that would fall into his eyes lazily. The strong chin, the straight nose, high cheekbones and plump lips. And the red eyes. I would never forget those ether, I thought with a bitter smile.

Oliver was originally from America, but he was half Italian, from his father's side, so his skin had always had an olive tint to it. He was 26 years old when he'd changed, in the early 1500th century. It had been an accident, his change. He was suppose to be dead, but he survived it, just like he survived everything else.

But he got lonely over the years, and in 1684, he decided to do something about it. He told me he'd been attracted by my floral sent. I'd been outside in the sun that fateful day, tending the garden like I always did.

I sat down on the floor, right underneath the window, leaning my head against the wall. It was a long time since I'd thought about Oliver.

He came out of the woods, covered in dirt, his clothes torn ripped and looking more lovely then any other man ever had. I'd staggered to my feet clumsily, asking if he wanted to come inside and wash up. He'd accepted with a beautiful smile.

_--Flash Back--_

_"Mother! Mother, we have a guest, Mr…?" I let the sentence hang in the air, blushing when the gentleman smiled at me._

_"Woodrow, Oliver Woodrow, miss. I do apologize for intruding." He said, kissing the back of my hand, as well as my mothers. Renee, my mother, smiled at his charms._

_"Charmed to meet you. I'm Mrs. Swan, Mr. Swan is at the marked place at the moment, but I do believe he will be here shortly. Well, Isabella, why don't you fill up the basin and get some sope for Mr. Woodrow? And some of your fathers clothes." My mother asked me politely, but I could see the **'or else'** behind her words. The only thing I really was good at was tending the garden, other then that I was useless. I was plain too. Brown hair, brown eyes, and paler then the cow's milk. My mother, along with my father, Charles, worried over if I was ever going to marry anyone, something I did not want to do. I'd always been bold. A bit too bold at times, but I didn't want to marry, have children and tend to the house. It was not a future I sought._

_Dutifully, I bowed my head and slipped out of the room to do as I was told. I only heard Mr. Woodrow say; "Please, call me Oliver." before I slipped out the door and into the garden. I filled the basin with water from the little river that flowed from the woods through our garden. We really lived in a lovely place._

_"It's a shame that such a beautiful young lady such as yourself have to work. You shouldn't have to lift a finger." Oliver's velvet voice floated through our garden like the river. I gasped in shock and swirled around quickly, facing him. He was standing in the doorway of our little home, in the shadows._

_"You scared me, Mr. Woodrow." I said, placing a hand over my beating heart. I blushed, realising that I was alone with this gorgeous man. Mother would not approve of me spending time with this, this **man**, no matter how much she wished for me to marry. Oliver quirked an eyebrow, giving me a mischievous smirk, and I found myself not caring one bit about what she would think._

_"Please my dear, call me Oliver. Mr. Woodrow, I'm afraid, has passed away." I bit my lip and bowed my head, ashamed off myself._

_"My condolences to you, Oliver." I said quietly, testing out his name on my lips._

_"Oh, I almost forgot. Here is your sope, and the water is ready for you. I'll fetch some of fathers clothes." I told him, gesturing with my pale slender hand to the sope on the little stool. He nodded, not moving from his place in the doorway. I squeezed my way past him, and he did not move to help me get past. Oliver sized my chin in his big, strong hand, gently cupping my cheeks._

_"Do not take too much time darling, or I shall miss you." He lowered his head, brushing his lips over my cheeks slowly. I looked up into his dark crimson eyes, but I only felt wonder, not fear, as I realized I should. It was a strange thing to say, almost wicked, but I could not find it in me to care. I nodded dumbly and walked into my parents bedroom in a daze, fetching some of fathers finer clothes._

_I left the clothes on a little stool in the doorway, wanting to give Oliver some privacy as he washed himself._

_I helped my mother in the kitchen, preparing dinner._

_"Your father should have been home by now. Oh well, maybe he sold a lot today then." Renee said with a sigh, always the impatient one. I gave a small gasp as I cut myself while peeling the potatoes._

_"Isabella! Oh, what will I do with you? Put some cloth on it, and don't get any blood on your dress!" She chided me. I nodded my head, cradling my wounded finger into my hand. The wound wasn't deep, but I was bleeding a lot from it. I walked outside, not thinking about the man who was washing himself there._

_He was already dressed, sitting on the stool, tying up his shoe lazes, to my disappointment. I blushed just thinking something like that. It was very improper._

_"Hello Isabella, would you like to take a stroll with me into the woods?" Oliver asked me with a bright smile, flashing his white, perfectly straight teeth. I nodded my head, unable to form a word. At the time, I didn't really think of the fact that it was dark, and that my father had forbidden me to walk into the woods at night. Even in the middle of the day I was only allowed to walk at the edge of the tree line._

_I took the arm he offered and we walked into the woods. I had completely forgotten about my bleeding finger, and therefore gasped loudly when I looked down at my dress, which was covered in blood._

_"Oh my! Whatever happened to your hand? Does it hurt terribly much, my dear?" Oliver asked me, concern on his honest face._

_"No, it does not. But my mother will not be pleased." I said with a small frown, trying to get some of the blood out of my dress. Had I looked up at that moment I would of noticed that Oliver's eyes were black, and how he licked his lips with hunger with anticipation. But I didn't, and therefore never thought for a second about not letting him help me. It was, after all, a gentlemanly thing to do._

_"Here, darling, let me help you with your wound." Gently, he took my hand in his, lifting it up to his lips. He drew in a sharp, haggard breath, making his eye's flutter. I felt my curiosity bloom, and again, I wondered at how strange this man was. Still, I did not feel fear._

_Oliver opened his eyes, looking at me with a hungry expression. Too fast for my human eyes to see, he grabbed me around the waist, pulling me roughly to his chest, and kissing my red lips. My eyes widened with shock, but I did not pull away or struggle as any lady would do. But then again, I never did anything a lady did._

_I closed my eyes and kissed him back, gently. I pulled away, breathlessly, and stared up at the dark sky. Distantly, I could hear father, calling my name franticly._

_Oliver trailed kisses down my throat, making me gasp slightly. He was breathing hard too, I noticed with a wry sort of satisfaction._

_"Lets go deeper into the woods, my dear…" Oliver purred into my ear. I sighed, leaning against him as he captured my lips with his again._

_--End off flash back--_

Shortly after that, he bit my throat, which was as much as I remembered, other then the pain. But I didn't want to dwell on that.

Edward stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. He'd have to get up in a few hours though, I noticed with a frown. My frown deepened when I heard Henry downstairs, sharpening a knife. What was he doing at three a clock in the morning, sharpening knives? And how had I not noticed this before? I guess I was too wrapped up in my own past to pay any attention to the world around me.

I could hear another mans voice too, deeper and more wheezing. It was the police officer, Swandels. I slipped out of the room silently, walking down the stairs without making a sound.

"Are you sure about this, Henry? The boy looks suspicious enough as it is, do you really think its necessary to, to brand the kid like that? The school's been complaining enough as it is." Brand the kid? What the _hell?_

"That's why I have you, now isn't it? Tell them you've talked to me about it and that the boy did it to himself, to get attention. Tell them he's mentally unstable and will do anything to get attention, I don't care, Charlie. Deal with it, since it's your job." Henry growled at him angrily. I looked into the key hole.

Henry was sharpening the knife, sitting on his chair with his feet propped up on the desk. Charlie was sitting with his back to me, fidgeting.

"Henry, when, when are we going to stop the killing? I mean, I know you have your reasons, but, but I'm not as great as you, and I don't know if I can take the guilt any longer. Now, you know I'm not a religious man, Henry, but I honestly do believe that I'm going to hell for this. Raping and killing, I don't know if I can do it anymore…" Charlie said shakily, running a hand through his thin hair. I stood still, listening.

"No, your not religious, your too stupid for that. I pay you your money, and you do your job. I don't care about your guilt, that's not what I'm paying you fore, now is it? And your getting sloppy, since Sam found the body just outside the reservation. You better not let that happen again, you hear?" He growled at the cowering man. Charlie nodded his head reluctantly, and I could smell his foul odour, a mix of sweat, fear and cigarettes.

Abruptly, Henry stood up, and marched towards the door. I ran to the kitchen, and saw Alice, of all creatures, standing outside. She was staring at me with wide, scared eyes. She gestured for me to come outside. I ran out the door in half a second, and we ran into the woods together.

"Bella, oh Bella, he's gonna cut the rest of Edward's cheek open and sew it together again, so if he ever runs away, he'll be branded in such an obvious way that their gonna find him at once. He'll never be able to really get away, ever! They'll always find him!" Alice said urgently. I gasped to myself.

"What can we do?!" I asked franticly. Alice shook her head, her hole frame trembling with sobs, muttering _'I'm sorry, I'm sorry'_ over and over again.

"Alice, snap out of it, there already at the end of the stairs, what can we _do_?!" I barked, slapping her across the face. Her face went into vision mode, and she didn't respond. They were by his bedroom door now…

"Nothing." She answered, snapping her eyes open.

"Over my dead body!" I snarled, lunging towards the house. Alice grabbed me around the waist, making me fall to the ground. They were both inside his room now. I snapped my teeth at her, growling loudly. One of the trees fell on Alice's back, but still, she would not let go.

"Alice!" I shrieked desperately, clawing, biting, punching, kicking. The lights came on and I heard the blood curling scream of my love as his own father cut open his cheek.

**_Hey Guys! I know its been forever, and I really, truly am sorry about that. But I had the BIGGEST writers block ever, so I chose not to write instead of giving you a crappy chappy. Hope your not too mad. We'll I'm back now, and I'll try to update as much as possible._**

**VOTE! Do you want Oliver Woodrow to be alive, or dead? VOTE!**


	12. Chapter 12

--Bella--

The screaming didn't stop, and if I wasn't having a panic attack, I probably would of heard how the scream didn't sound like Edward at all.

"Bella will you just, _OW_, stop!" Alice said, clawing at my body. I growled at her loudly and kicked her in the face, sending her flying into a tree a few yards back.

I didn't waste any time as I ran towards the house. I was over half way there when Alice jumped on my back again.

"Listen to me! You can't go up there, he's fine! Edward is _fine_!" I didn't believe her. How could I when the screaming and yelling was still going on? Well, it was only a couple of seconds for humans, but I wasn't exactly thinking straight at the moment.

I managed to shake her of off me, sending her flying through the living room window, making a huge crashing sound. By this time, Alice must be in a lot of pain, even for a vampire. Jasper wouldn't be happy.

Alice got up from the floor, glaring at me, and jumped out the window, taking me around the house so we wouldn't be spotted. The screaming had gone down to whimpers upstairs, and someone was running down the stairs.

"_That's the first smart thing you've done so far boy_…" A rasping voice could be heard saying from upstairs. I stopped dead in my tracks. The sound of a knife falling on a wooden floor was heard through the house, and heavy footsteps running outside.

I shook Alice's hand off of me and ran around the house only to se Edward running down the street in nothing but his boxers. He ran into the woods, half yelling, half whispering my name.

I ran after him, a lot faster. "Edward! Edward, I'm here!" I whisper yelled too, trying to be quiet. Charlie was outside with his flashlight, looking for what came through the window only minutes ago. Alice ran after me, but I didn't care. I needed to see for myself if he was alright or not.

Edward spun around at the sound of my voice, and he sagged together with relief before hurrying towards me. I ran a little faster then possible, but I didn't care at the moment.

Edward threw his arms around me, squeezing me to his body tightly. If I were human, I probably would be suffocating. I pushed myself away from him slightly and looked up at his face, touching but not touching the wound on his cheek. It hadn't been ripped open, but it wasn't looking good ether. With human eye's, you probably couldn't see the start of the infection. But I could, and it concerned me.

"What happened?" I whispered quietly. Edward shook his head and grabbed my hand, motioning for Alice to come too with his head. We hurried into the woods, before Alice gave a sigh and climbed up a tree.

"Good idea." I muttered quietly, not knowing if I should be angry, sorry or even talking to Alice. I pushed it into the back of my mind, saving it for later.

"Bella hurry up, he knows too much anyway!" Alice hissed so quietly I almost didn't catch it. I stopped running and turned my head slightly, seeing the flashlight coming closer. Edward tugged on my hand, but I didn't even inch forwards in the slightest.

"Bella, we need to leave now! That guy is crazy and he's got a fucking gun." Edward hissed, giving my arm another tug.

Faster then he could see, I grabbed him around his hips and threw him over my shoulder, climbing up the tree quickly. When we were at the top, I sat him down by the trunk so he would have something to hold on to, and put my hand over his mouth.

If it wasn't for the crazy situation we were in now, I would of laughed my ass off at his expression. His eyes widened so much, and with his glasses on made them look like big green bug eyes. He looked from the ground to me and stared at the tree.

Realization hit him and he grabbed for the trunk with one hand and my waist with the other. I let my hand fall from his mouth and put a finger to my lips, signaling that he needed to be quiet.

Charlie was right underneath our tree now. He started with looking around himself, and I could smell the fear rolling off of him in waves.

"Charlie!" Henry yelled from the house. I could hear me perfectly, but to Edward and Charlie it was faint. Edward was shaking slightly, so I grabbed his hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

Finally, with one last look around the woods, he ran back to Edwards house.

We just sat there in complete silence for a while, just staring out at the woods.

"You can come down now." Alice said from the bottom of our tree. My head snapped in her direction, staring at her petite form. Edward stared at me in surprise, and I realized that he hadn't seen nor heard Alice.

I sighed and did the same thing I did earlier, grabbed him before he could even blink his pretty green eyes in surprise. We were at the bottom of the tree before he even had the chance to take a breath.

Edward staggered slightly, supporting himself against a tree and pushing his glasses up his nose. I didn't look at Alice and she didn't look at me, so we kind of just stared at the ground, not saying anything.

"What happened to you Alice?" Edward asked, braking the silence. He was referring to the wild hair and ripped clothes of course, and all the dirt and pieces of glass stuck to her sweater.

"Your girlfriend beat me up, after I…confused her." Alice answered, looking at me through her lashes. Her eyes were light, indicating that she wasn't angry with me. I gave a small smile and a giggle.

"Oh shut up, you would of done the exact same thing in my position." I said lightly, pushing her shoulder playfully. Alice smiled, showing all her white perfect teeth.

"I know," And just like that, everything was forgiven. Alice threw her arms around me, knocking me to the ground. We giggled together, and I was happy about not fighting with her anymore. There had been too much of tension in the family for a while now.

"You beat her up?" Edward asked incredulously, staring at me with shocked eyes. I looked down at the forest floor guiltily, but couldn't hide my small smile.

"Kinda," I answered with a shrug.

"Lets go home. I'm sure you can borrow some of Jaspers clothes, and Carlisle can fix you up. And then you have to tell me what happened." I said the last part more seriously. I really needed to know what happened in there.

Edward nodded his head, still supporting himself against the tree, looking tired and confused.

"He's already seen our speed…" I said to Alice in a suggestive tone. She closed her eyes and frowned slightly.

"Rosalie is going to be pretty mad." Alice warned when she opened her eyes again. Edward was staring from me to her with a emotionless face. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, which kind of annoyed me.

"How mad?" I asked, ignoring him for now. We would talk later. And, the fact that he wasn't running away screaming was a really good sign.

"Christmas in 67 mad." Alice said with a winch. I sighed and rubbed my eyes, wondering if Vampires could get head aces.

"And if we walk?"

"Wedding party in 84 pissed. All directed at you, and I'm not excluding the stuff that'll be thrown, only this time at you." Alice said with a little shrug, looking slightly helpless.

"So what your saying is that no matter what I do tonight, she's goanna throw stuff at me and scream her lungs out?" I asked her, razing an eyebrow. Alice nodded her head once and started running home right away.

"I don't want to go home to your place if Rosalie is going to throw stuff at you…" Edward said hesitantly. I smiled sweetly at him, making his eyes glaze slightly.

"Don't worry about me. There is absolutely nothing she can do to hurt me." I said with a shrug. Edward didn't seem convinced, but he didn't say anything ether.

"Are you going to, to grab me again so that one minute were there and the next were some place else, or are we walking…" He asked me, staring at me in confusion.

"I'll carry you." I said, walking towards him at a human pace. He backed up a few steps, almost falling to the forest floor.

"I don't think your strong enough to carry me, I'm a lot taller then you and really, I can walk myself." He said hurriedly, holding his hands out in stop signs. I took one quick step, too quick for him to see, so I was right in front of his face, and wound my fingers through his, bringing them down so they were at our side.

"I just carried you up that tree Edward." I said, motioning to the tree he was standing besides. Edward shook his head in disbelief.

"Fine," I said, pulling my hands away from his and slinging him over my shoulder. He gave a surprised yelp as I moved one of my hands to his stomach, holding him over my head with one hand, and hardly using any of my strength at all.

"Ok, ok, ok! I believe you! Your really, really strong! I get it!" He yelled, gripping my arm. I laid him down on my shoulder again and started running towards my house. It didn't take long until we were at the edge of the forest facing my home.

Alice was standing in the garden with something in her hand and a really pissed of Jasper standing at her side. I put Edward down and started dragging him stumbling after me. Alice gave him a pair of pants, socks and shoes.

"Sorry, but there's no point in putting on a shirt just yet." She said with a small smile. Edward gave her one back and started to get dressed.

Jasper jumped without warning to attack me, but I managed to move away, the first time, before he had me pinned to the ground in the back yard.

"JASPER! Jasper, Stop it!" Alice yelled running towards us. Jasper growled loudly into my face, gripping my shoulders so tightly I was sure I was going to have marks from him later. I didn't try to defend myself, which made him more angry. He wanted to fight with me.

"Bella?" Edward yelled in a panicked voice. He was done dressing and had turned around to look for me. I hadn't realized how far Jasper had flung us back.

"_Like you wouldn't have done the same thing_." I hissed in his face, knowing that Alice had told him everything. His eyes widened slightly, but the sneer and the growling didn't stop.

"Jasper Withlock you let her go _NOW_!" Alice yelled in her high soprano voice. I could feel his nails digging into my marble skin. I didn't scream in pain, even though that was what I felt like doing. I just stared calmly into his eyes. Of course, I knew that he could feel my pain, seeing the slight satisfaction in his eyes, and then the guilt. He released me with one last growl, sending some of the venom from his mouth spraying right into one of the wounds he'd just made with his nails.

I hissed in pain, grabbing my shoulder before I got up and off the ground. I jumped away from Jasper and Alice, saw that Edward was still running, amazed that all of that had only taken a couple of seconds. I removed my hand and saw the milky white venom drip out of both my shoulders, just like blood would drip from a human. It wasn't the first time I'd 'bled' venom, but it stung like a bitch every time. Especially with Jaspers venom in there too.

Jasper was staring at me with big guilty eyes. He reached one hand out to help me, but I pushed it out of the way and walked past him.

"Save it." I said in a monotone voice, not really caring at that moment. I tried sending out feelings of indifference, something I knew would only make him feel worse.

Edward stopped running when he saw me walking towards him.

"Are you okay Bella?" He asked concerned, staring down at me and looking at my shoulders with pained eyes. As if my pain was his pain. I smiled up at him, grabbing his hand and walking with him towards the house.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. It wasn't something I didn't deserve." I told him softly, but loud enough for Alice and Jasper to hear. I didn't look back at them as I led Edward through the front door.

Carlisle came rushing forwards with his medical bag in hand.

"Come on, lets not waste any time on chit chat, those wounds don't look good." Carlisle said with a frown, motioning for us to walk to his office. I walked up the stairs with Edward in a hurry, making his tired frame stumble more then once.

Esme was sitting in Carlisle's office, reading. She looked up and gasped when she saw Edward's cheek. Her eyes were black, and I knew mine were too, but I also knew that I had better control over my blood lust then she did.

"Oh my…I, I'll go make you some tea Edward," she said, rushing out of the room.

"It was nice meeting you!" Edward called half heartedly after her. I led him over to the couch before I pulled out the table in one of the closets. It was big and sturdy, and I knew that Carlisle would want to examine him on it.

"Come and sit down." I sat, patting the table. Edward gave me my favorite crooked smile and hopped up, taking my hand in his. He tugged on my arm slightly so I was standing between his legs, staring up at him. Edward let go of my hand and touched my shoulder lightly. I flinched away from his warm touch, because it only made the stinging worse.

"Sorry," He whispered, bringing his fingers up in front of his eyes to look at, and I saw that he had some venom on his fingers, rubbing it between his thumb and index with concentrated curiosity.

"So this is your kinds blood…" He said with a thoughtful, low voice. I looked away from him, staring at the painting of the Voldturi and Carlisle. I wasn't going to lie to him, but that didn't mean I was going to answer him ether.

He gave a small gasp before he wiped the venom off on his pants quickly, staring at his finger in surprise.

"It burned…" He said in a slightly amazed voice. I gave him a small shrug as an explanation and a hesitant smile. I didn't know what to say.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, referring to my wounds.

"Not really. I'm a tough cookie." I said with a laugh, making him smile too, even though his eyes were filled with concern. He grabbed both of my hands in his large ones, rubbing the back with his thumbs.

"You know, if I was fast and strong enough, I would have defended you from Jasper. What he did was inexcusable…I'm sorry for not being able to protect you-" He started, staring down at our hands. I shook my head at him.

"Edward no, don't talk like that. Trust me, there was absolutely nothing you could of done out there. And I know that, okay? But you have to know that I can take care of myself just fine. If I wanted to fight with Jasper, I would of done it. But the fact is that I kind of deserved it for beating up Alice. He was just looking out for her. And you don't have to feel sorry about not being able to protect me, okay? I know that you cant, and I'm fine with it." I told him reassuringly. He frowned, not liking my logic at all.

"Still, it doesn't seem right…" He started. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Oh please, you only think it doesn't seem right because I don't have a dick and you do. Don't think about it, okay? I can handle myself just fine." I said sternly. He cracked a small smile at me, squeezing my hands. I could tell that he didn't agree with me, but he was going to leave it alone for now.

Carlisle walked into the room, clearing his throat as he did.

"Okay, lets look at that infection in your cheek before we move on to your back shall we?" He said with a bright smile, putting the medical bag down on his desk. I moved away from Edward standing beside him instead. Carlisle came over and poked and prodded at his wound and then cleaned it up.

"Ok, I'm going to have to sew it together, Edward. But, unfortunately, I don't have any sedatives with me from the hospital. So we can ether go down there and finish up-"

"No, no, its fine. I don't need sedatives, just, no hospitals." Edward said quickly. Carlisle stared at him for a moment before nodding and turning around, making everything ready to do the stitching.

"Is it going to leave a scar?" I asked hesitantly.

"Not a visible one, no. But if you look for it, you will be able to see it, bearly. I'm sorry, Edward, but that's the best I can do." Carlisle said, sending him an apologetic look.

"That's okay." Edward said quietly.

"You do realize that I probably have to stitch up your whole back too, right? You sure you don't want to do this at the hospital?" Carlisle asked, turning around with the needle in hand. Edward nodded his head and grabbed my hand, but didn't say anything.

"Okay, try to keep still." Carlisle instructed as he started with the stitching. Edward didn't winch once through the whole thing, and it pained me to think that the reason for that was probably because he was so used to the pain.

"There, now we need to do your back and we're done." Carlisle said with a reassuring smile.

After half an hour with stitching, he was done and a hell of a lot more sleepy then before he came.

"Come on Edward, you can use my bed tonight." I said, pulling him off the table. He nodded with half closed eyelids.

"Thank you, Carlisle. This really, really means a lot to me, and I will find a way to make it up to you again, someday." Edward said sincerely, his speech slightly slurred by drowsiness. Carlisle smiled warmly back at him.

"The only thing you can do for me now is go to bed." Edward nodded, and I tugged on his hand before I stopped dead in my tracks. I couldn't take him to my room. My room was full of plants and trees and my carped was made out of grass. It would be too weird, even with everything he'd seen today. I wasn't ready for him to see my power yet.

"Uh, Carlisle, could you, um, show Edward the, uh, kitchen downstairs, I just need to, erm, _fix_, something in my room real quick." I said, emphasizing the word fix. Understanding filled his eyes and he nodded quickly.

"Ah, yes. Esme has some herbal tea that would be good for your wound. Helps the mouth to stay clean, you know?" He said, acting all smooth. But I could hear the undertone of nervousness in his voice. I walked over to him and pretended to give him a big hug, while I produced some tea leafs that I stuffed into his back pocked.

"Thank you, _Daddy_!" I said with sarcastic enthusiasm._ "Just add some hot water and sugar,"_ I whispered, too quickly for Edward to hear.

"Your welcome, sweetie." He said, patting my head before leading a slightly confused Edward out of the room. I ran Vampire speed up to my own room, and flung the door open.

Sitting in the middle of my bed was Rosalie. I groaned but tried to ignore her as I sat down on the floor, putting my palms on the grass and trying to concentrate on making it all disappear into my hands. I never understood how I could just suck up tree after tree, all the plants, fruits and other stuff into my hands. I mean, were did it all go? Not that it mattered.

"Rosalie, I don't have time for you today so if you could leave me alone for now that would be great, thanks, you know where my door is, don't be afraid to use it, okay?" I said, still keeping my eyes closed.

"Bella, I really want to kick your ass right now, so if you could just stop killing all your plants for now would be great, thanks, you know how to stop so don't hesitate to do so, okay?" She answered me sarcastically, not missing a beat. I opened one eye and looked at her, still sitting on my bed. I could hear Carlisle and Edward making their way up the stairs, talking about some book.

"Touché." I said, and closed my eye again.

I still had some plants that I needed to make disappear, so I continued to ignore her and concentrated even more on making it all just go away.

"So, Alice told us what happened at his house and how you went all crazy on her and beat her up. I saw Jasper taking care of that, though. Does your shoulder hurt, _Isabella_?" Rosalie mocked me, trying to get my concentration off. I continued ignoring her, focusing on the last part of my room. Edward and Carlisle were soon going to be here, and I hadn't realized just how empty my room was without the plants. I only had a bed, and that was it. No pictures, CD's no nothing.

Rosalie was about to open her mouth again, so I shot my hand out towards her, shooting a long thick vine that wound itself around her mouth twice. Her eyes widened in surprise and then anger. She tried to rip it off, but it was too strong and she knew it.

I shot another one out that wound itself around her waist, trapping her arms to her hourglass figure. I pulled my other hand out and shot a vain at the door, opened it, before the same one lifted her up and threw her out. It closed the door and gave me a high five.

"Rosalie, what happened to you?" I could hear Carlisle ask her, and I panicked just a little more. What was I going to say about my bare room?

"Bella! Bella dear, could you come out here into the hallway please?" Carlisle asked sweetly, and I could almost hear Edward falling asleep on his feet by the rhythm of his heart.

I opened my door and walked into the hallway, ignoring my furious sister, I grabbed Edwards hand and led him over to my bed. He took of his shoes and fell asleep before he even got the blanket over himself. I smiled at the sight of him before pulling the blanked up to his chin.

"Bella?" I rolled my eyes as I turned around, walking into the hallway. I looked at the vain around her middle and it disappeared. I could make it out in the air as it flowed into my fingers and palm. It was a progress on my power I managed to do for about a hundred years ago or so, give or take.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Carlisle asked me pointedly when I just stared at the wall.

"What? The one around her mouth? I think it looks good on her, and I kinda like the silence." I said with a shrug, winching slightly as the wounds in my shoulders moved. I'd almost forgotten about them completely.

Rosalie gave a muffled scream and charged at me with her arms in a choking grip. I ducked out of the way for the second time that day. How many family members were going to try to kill me on one day?

"Alright, alright." I said with a huff before I stared at it and made it disappear.

"_You. Are. Dead_." Rosalie whispered viciously at me, pointing one shaking finger in my face.

"Why thank you for pointing out the obvious Rosie." I said sarcastically. The next thing I felt was a sharp pain in my cheek, and it took me a second to realize that she'd slapped me. It wasn't the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"Girls, that's enough. Rosalie, go to Emmett or something. Bella, your coming with me." Carlisle said sternly.

"This isn't over." Rosalie said as she walked past me, bumping her shoulder hard into mine, making me hiss in a cat like way.

"Come on," Carlisle said, ignoring what just happened as he led the way back to his office. Once there he started cleaning up the stuff he'd used on Edward before he patted the table for me to sit on. I didn't question him, but hopped up on the table.

He started cleaning my wounds and making sure that everything was okay.

"Its better to let the breath." He said, turning away from me.

"I know." I said quietly.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do or anything, I just want you to be careful and-" He started but I cut him off.

"Carlisle, I think your forgetting the fact that I'm not much younger then you are. I have my experiences and I know what to do and not to do." I said sternly. He nodded his head and stared at me for a long moment.

"Do you love him?" He asked me suddenly, and I stared at him in surprise. I knew that I did, but I hoped it wasn't so obvious.

"Yes." I answered finally. He nodded his head but didn't say anything for a while. I looked at my wounds. They had already started to heal.

"Are you going to change him?" Carlisle asked me after a while.

"I don't know. He doesn't know that I love him, and he does have a chance at life. I just- I don't know, okay?" I said, frustrated. How the hell was I suppose to know the answer to that? Of course I'd fantasized about changing him and him being my mate, but it wasn't exactly up to me to make that choice.

"Just asking…" Carlisle said with a thoughtful look on his face. I know Vampires couldn't be tired, but mentally, I was beat.

"You know what, I'm going to bed. I don't want to talk to anybody else tonight. I just want to lay down and relax for a while." I said, feeling my anger building up and knowing it wasn't a good thing.

"So everybody, just lay off my case for the rest of the night, please!" I said loudly so the rest of them would hear. I didn't get an answer, but I knew that everybody heard.

I walked out of his study and up to my bedroom without meeting anybody. I slipped under the covers with Edward and snuggled up to him like I'd done at the hospital and in his bed only hours earlier that very same night.

One thing was sure. I was _not_ going to school tomorrow.

* * *

**MY LAPTOP DIED! That's why I haven't been able to write anything, and I'm really, really sorry about that. I'll try to be better! I promise.**

**I'm surprised that so many of you wanted Oliver to be Dead. Not once in there did I write that he was a bad guy, so it was surprising. But, you'll just have to wait and see if i'm putting him in the story or not ;) **

**Review you lovely readers! I hope you weren't disappointed with the chapter. **


	13. Chapter 13

--Edward--

I don't think I've ever woken up once feeling as comfortable as I felt right now. It was the softest bed in the history of soft beds, doing wonders for my sore muscles. And, the fact that my face was nuzzled into the most beautiful girl in the worlds neck didn't exactly put a damper on my mood.

"Hey sleepy head. You should go back to sleep, it's still early." Bella mumbled quietly, her voice sounding just the same as it always did. I wondered if she'd slept at all last night.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, remembering what Jasper did to her last night. If I'd been a vampire at that moment, which I was now pretty damn sure they were, I would of kicked his ass so hard he wouldn't be able to shit straight for a week. If vampires took shit's that is…

Bella giggled quietly and nodded her head, pushing her hair away from her bare, pale shoulders. If you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't be able to tell that there had once been deep wounds on her shoulders.

"Thank god you heal fast…" I mumbled, too tired to raise my head off the pillow. I was still stiff and sore from yesterday's heavy work out, the run through the woods and just staying up way to late when I just wanted to sleep.

"Wish I could say the same to you." She murmured back, stroking my face with her hard, smooth, pale fingers and running them through my freakishly bronze hair.

"Just go back to sleep okay? School hasn't even started yet, not that we're going today." She said with a delicate snort. I could feel the tiredness just wash over me. It was such a good feeling knowing that you could just sleep in.

"M'kay." I mumbled, closing my already hooded eyes. But, it was too good to be true. It shouldn't have surprised me, really. Just as I'd closed my eyes, the door banged open loudly, smacking into the wall, so hard that I'd bet one of my scars it left a mark.

Bella tightened her arms around me, and strangely enough started growling. At first it was just a small rumble in her chest that vibrated through me, before it turned into a full out lion like roar. Let's just say I wasn't sleepy anymore. I grabbed my glasses from the night stand and put them on quickly, not wanting to miss out on anything.

Bella jumped out of bed, quicker then possible, facing non other then Rosalie. The beautiful blond was glaring at Bella with such viciousness I'm surprised her eyes didn't turn red or something creepy like that.

"So he knows now then, huh? We had a family meeting, we discussed this and you _still_ go right ahead and tell him, just like you wanted to do from the start!" She screeched, so loudly that I half heartedly covered one of my ears.

She saw my movement and her eyes flashed over to me, making me freeze slightly. Her eyes flashed with rage as she took in my sleepy form on the bed.

"I bet you feel special, now that your in on the secret. And you're the vampires little boy toy no less." She said mockingly with a sneer on her face, making her beauty seem slightly grotesque.

"Rose-" Bella tried to stop her, still growling softly in the back of her throat, but Rosalie stopped her with her hand.

"Just so you know, human, your not her first lover, and probably not the last, so don't get too comfortable with the freak over here." Rosalie continued on with an evil smirk on her face.

Bella let out a loud snarling noise and jumped on her, taking Rose by surprise. I jumped out of bed quickly and hurried into the hallway where the two of them were fighting.

At that moment I didn't think about the fact that I was human. I didn't think about the fact that they could crush me accidentally if I got too close. I just wanted Bella to be safe. So I threw myself into the fight, only to be grabbed around the throat and thrown back into Bella's bedroom.

I laid there gasping, but it didn't stop me from getting up and trying to stop them from fighting. But before I could get into the hallway, Emmett, Jasper, Esme and Alice were there, breaking up the fight.

"Oh my, Edward, are you okay?" Esme asked in a slightly panicked voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" I said, gasping slightly as I stumbled past her into the hallway.

Jasper was holding Bella back while Emmett was holding Rose back.

"You stupid shit, he didn't know we were vampires! If you could of just kept that big mouth of yours shut just for once, he wouldn't have known ether!" Bella yelled, struggling against Jasper as he tried to hold her still.

Rosalie stopped struggling for a second, staring at Bella with wide surprised eyes.

"What do you mean you didn't tell him…" She almost whispered, speaking as though I wasn't in the room. Bella rolled her eyes at her sister.

"_I_ didn't tell him anything, _you_ told him! I had to run and use my strength yesterday, but I never told him! What the hell is wrong with you Rosalie?! Why do you always think that I'll just fuck everything up! I haven't done so before and I'm not planning on doing it now!" Bella yelled angrily. Rosalie stared back at her with cold eyes.

"You might as well have told him." She said coldly, shrugging out of Emmett's arms and stalking away. Bella ripped herself out of Jaspers arms and walked into her bedroom, grabbing my hand and pulling me in with her. She did, however, leave her bedroom door open for the rest of them to come in.

"Bella I'm sorry-" Emmett and Jasper started at the same time, looking at each other, silently debating who was going first.

"Save it guys, I don't want to hear it. Jasper your forgiven about yesterday, Emmett, I don't care about what Rosalie does anymore. I'm just glad Alice's vision of her reaction didn't come true. I hate it when your hair is full of glass." Bella mumbled, rubbing her temples.

"Tell me about it." Alice muttered quietly, making Bella crack a small smile. I rubbed my throat, trying to sooth it. It felt like getting a huge stone thrown at your throat. Not a good feeling, I'll tell you that much.

"Dude, I'm sorry about that. I don't know what's gotten in to her lately-" Emmett started.

"How bout a curling iron?" Bella suggested smartly from beside me, making Alice giggle. I sat up straighter, leaning my head against the wall behind me. Emmett glared at her half heartedly.

"Well, I just want all of this fighting to stop. Really, this is getting out of hand. First Jasper and now Rosalie. Not that its surprising. I want it all to stop, right now. No more fighting in this house. Edward, I'll go make you some breakfast." Esme said and disappeared into thin air, or so it seemed like to me.

"There really is no need for her to make me-" I started to protest, not wanting to intrude any more then I already was.

"There's no point in even trying. Esme is going to make you something to eat weather you like it or not, so just lean back and enjoy." Emmett said, jumping belly down on our bed.

"Why don't you have anything in your room beside a bed? Is it a vampire thing?" I asked hesitantly. Emmett, Jasper and Alice stared at each other and then at Bella.

"Its just Bella, she's anal like that." Emmett answered. Bella gasped slightly in mock offence.

"I am not! I'm just not a very materialistic person." She mumbled, glaring at Emmett playfully. Alice snorted loudly and sat down gracefully, leaning against Jaspers legs.

"You can say that again. Jungle woman over here doesn't even like shopping. I know, can you believe it? I can't." Alice said with a huff, staring at Bella with teasing annoyance.

"Jungle woman?" I asked, turning to stare at her. Bella ducked her head slightly.

"Lets not go there." She mumbled finally. "Alice, can you find a shirt for Edward, please?" Alice nodded and ran off, returning seconds later with a green shirt.

"It'll make your eyes pop." She said excitedly, making the others roll their eyes.

"Thank you Alice." I said, standing up from the bed and pulling my arms through the big shirt, buttoning it up as I went.

"Hey, isn't that shirt mine?" Emmett wondered aloud. I stopped buttoning and instantly felt horrible and selfish. I was just taking and taking and taking with these people. Or should I say vampires.

The self hatred vanished quickly and was replaced by a calm that almost washed over me like a wave.

"Well, yeah, but you never use it anymore, and its way too big for Edward, so it wont touch the wounds on his back. It's for the best really." Alice said in a matter of fact voice. Emmett shrugged and started playing with a small thread.

"Breakfast is ready, so we might as well go down there." Bella said. She walked out of the door and I followed after her slowly.

Every time I moved one of my legs, it pulled the skin on my back. I didn't show it though, just took it nice and easy.

But, of course Emmett wouldn't have any of that. He picked me up bridal stile, making my eyes widen in shock for a moment before I tried to get out of his arms. There really was no point in me struggling against him, he was way to strong.

"Oh we are going to have _such_ a wonderful time together, _handsome_." Emmett said in a high pitched voice with a small giggle at the end, making me winch. I covered my face with my hands, muttering; "Please kill me now."

"Emmett be nice to the human and put him down." Esme scolded as she walked past us.

"Sure mom!" Emmett replied, thankfully in his own voice. He put me down on my own feet and ran into the living room, which Carlisle had showed me earlier, turning on the TV.

I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table with Bella, Alice and Jasper. There was a plate filled with bacon, eggs and pancakes, making my stomach growl loudly.

"I guess we're not the only ones that growl." Alice said with a laugh under her breath. I dug into the food, thanking Esme over and over as she walked into the room. It really was the best meal I'd ever had.

"So, Edward, can you tell me-us, what happened last night?" Bella asked me impatiently, and I could tell by her face that she'd been dying to ask me that for a really long time now. I nodded my head and swallowed the bite I was chewing.

"I woke up when you jumped out the window again, so I tried going back to sleep, but then I heard Henry and another person, Charlie, running up the stairs. Henry usually goes to bed around 11: 30, so I figured I'd done something to make him upset." I stopped and took a sip of my juice before I went on.

"I knew you were safe Bella, because I saw you jump out the window, so I pulled out an axe I'd hidden underneath my bed and hit behind my door. So when Henry came running into the room, I kind of attacked him from behind. I, I broke his back, Bella. I cut his spine in two." I whispered, feeling horrible. I'd tried to not think about what I'd done only the night before. I was a monster and a horrible person.

"I don't even know if he survived it." I said quietly. At least I wasn't crying, and that only made me feel worse.

"I hope not." Emmett muttered, and I hadn't even noticed when he'd come into the room.

"He didn't die Edward, but he will be paralyzed from the waist down from now on." Alice said in a small voice, and I turned to her surprised.

"How do you know?" I asked, surprised. She tapped her forehead and winked at me.

"It's a vampire thing." I nodded my head.

"Anyway, Charlie got scared and started running back down the stairs when there was this huge crash coming from the living room, which I'm guessing is Alice. So he ran after her as an excuse to get out of the house." I said with a tired sigh, and I wouldn't mind going back to bed or just relax. Preferably laying down.

"Wait, why did you have an axe under your bed in the first place?" Jasper asked me, and I stared at him and asked him silently if he was that stupid. I was still angry with him for what he did to Bella. She might forgive him, but that didn't mean I had to.

"If your dad was a crazy psychopath who could just randomly come into your room and stab you, like he tried last night, for no reason at all, wouldn't you want to have something to protect yourself with?" I asked him with a razed eyebrow. He nodded his head with a thoughtful look on his face and looked away from me.

"What are we going to do now?" Bella asked, pulling her mahogany hair away from her shoulders.

"Henry's in the hospital now, Carlisle's doing surgery on him as we speak." Alice answered, staring off into space. I continued eating, not letting anything go to waste.

"We should move now," Alice said suddenly, and jumped up along with Jasper.

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked with a small smile on her face.

"Edward, eat up, your running away in fifteen minutes." Alice said, and I chocked on my food.

"What?" I croaked out, staring at Bella. I knew I was leaving, but I'd thought that I'd have more time to say goodbye to Bella and thank the rest of the Cullen's, and now suddenly I was leaving.

"Your leaving soon. This is your best chance at getting away. I'll go the stuff in your car, Esme, will you pack him some food?" Jasper said, answering my question.

Esme nodded her head and started packing up everything in the fridge and cabinets.

I stared into Bella's sad eyes, not knowing what to do. She seemed to understand this, because she stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the backyard.

"Wow…" I breathed, staring out at the most beautiful garden I'd ever seen. It was like every single plant, bush and tree had grown together as one.

"Do you like it?" She asked me, and I nodded, to amazed to speak.

"I did it." She said quietly, walking over to a bench that was hidden from the house. I walked over and sat down beside her, grabbing her cold, hard hands in mine.

"I thought I'd have more time with you Bella. I really don't want to leave you." I told her quietly, tracing the patterns of her palm.

"We'll see each other again, soon. I promise." She told me confidently. I looked up at her mischievous face. I furrowed my brows, not really understanding the look.

"What's with the smile?" I asked her quietly. She shrugged, tracing her thumb on the back of my hand slowly. I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to forget about the fact that I wouldn't see her again after this.

"Bella, I, I want to tell you something before I go. I know its unfair of me to tell you this when I'm leaving, but I'll hate myself more then ever if I don't tell you." I started, staring at her hand that was tracing slow circles on my hand. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I opened them again and looked up at her pale, puzzled face.

"I…I'm sorry to say that you have dirt on your face," I said instead, hating myself for chickening out. She lifted an eyebrow while I pretended to wipe something off her cheek, using the opportunity for all it was worth. She looked down at the grass, blinking slowly.

"I like you too, Edward. But there is no reason for us to confess our feelings for each other now, because I will see you again, soon. That's a promise, and I don't break promises." She said with such determination that I almost believed her. Even she couldn't know where I was going.

I got a weird, warm pleasant feeling in my chest at her words. She liked me, as in she liked me, liked me. I felt a huge smile attack my lips, and I tried to fight it down, because this was actually a very sad situation, but I lost anyway. I stood up and pulled her with my, hugging her small form to me tightly. I didn't care about the pain in my back or the pain in my cheek as I laughed.

"You have no idea just how happy you made me." I whispered, breathing in the fruit like scent of her hair. I was going to miss her, so, so much. She hugged me back carefully, mindful about my wounds.

I pulled back slightly and looked down at her smiling face. Her eyes were wide, ignoring the slight drizzle of rain that had started. I leaned in closer, my eyes flickering from her lips and back to her eyes.

I don't know if it was my imagination, but it seemed like all the plants, the grass, heck even the water looked brighter. It had to be her, or maybe it was just a vampire thing.

Bella pushed herself closer, and her eyes started to drop. I leaned in closer too, and I was holding my breath in anticipation.

"Isabella!" Rosalie's high voice sounded through the garden. I closed my eyes and sighed in annoyance, and Bella leaned her head against my chest, muttering about matches. Up until that moment, I hadn't felt one spec of pain from ether my cheek or any other place on my body. But, of course Rosalie the Ice Queen of the South Pole had to come and ruin everything. I wasn't a hateful person, but I think I could truthfully say I hated her almost more then Henry at the moment.

"Edward is leaving now. Alice sent me to come and get you. Did I ruin anything?" I opened my eyes to glare over at her. I didn't really care about the fact that she was a million times stronger then I was. She raised an eyebrow, making Bella snarl at her. I put my hand on her back, stroking it slightly and trying to distract her. She didn't need to end up in another fight. Not tonight anyway.

"You know what this reminds me off? That time I walked in on you and Oliver. Look, they've even got the same built." She said nastily, and I was surprised that such a beautiful girl could be so…ugly.

I knew she was only doing this to get a rise out of Bella and torment me, but the comment got to me anyway. Just thinking that Bella had had another man was…not pleasant, to put it lightly. Imagining him with his filthy hands all over her made me shutter.

"Funny, you've never met Oliver." Bella sneered, tightening her hold on me slightly, as if afraid I'd disappear. Alice came running from the house, an angry frown on her face.

"I said no such thing. Stop being a bitch Rose, your not helping at all. I'm sorry, but Edward needs to leave now before the school starts calling around." Alice said with an anxious look on her face.

I kissed Bella's forehead before pulling her towards the house with me, walking as fast as I could. Which, compared to them, wasn't all that fast.

They were all in the garage, filling the car to the brim with stuff I might need along the way.

"I wish we'd have an RV to give you, but this one will do. You've got a full tank of gas, and four tanks in the trunk, so you don't need to stop and buy. There's five cases of water bottles in the back there too, along with some soda. The back seat is full of clothes and anything else you might need. Do you know where your going?" Carlisle asked me quickly, handing me an envelope and a hoop full of keys. I nodded, a little bewildered about all the information.

I felt a wave of calm wash over me, and my shoulders slumped together. It actually felt really nice to just relax, even though it was only for a few seconds. I gripped Bella's hand tighter, and she squeezed mine in return.

"Yeah, New York. I think I'll live underground for a few years, in those tunnels." I said, coming up with the first thing that sprang to mind. It was actually a good idea, and I wouldn't really mind being a homeless person. It's not like I wasn't used to starving, Elizabeth had made sure of that.

"We have an apartment you can take, Edward, there is no need for you to be homeless." Carlisle said with a frown. I shook my head quickly.

"Please, I can't take anything else. You've already given me so much. I don't know how to thank you." I said honestly, trying to think of something I might have of value that I could give, something in return. There was nothing.

"Don't think about it Edward, we're happy about helping you, honestly, we all are." Esme said with a kind smile on her face. I smiled in return, trying to ignore the stinging in my cheek.

"Speak for yourself." Rosalie muttered, loud enough for me to hear. I closed my eyes slightly before opening them again.

"I hate to break everything up you guys, but school is starting in five, and their goanna call in ten. We need to hurry." Emmett said, glaring over at Rosalie. She flipped her hair and huffed before storming out of the garage. Emmett followed her after giving me a small wave.

Esme and Alice both hugged me carefully before slipping out with Jasper, who only gave me a tight smile before following his mother and girlfriend.

"Everything you need to know is in that envelope. It was a pleasure getting to know you, Edward, and I wish you the best. Have a happy life my friend, and I hope I'll see you again some day." He said, patting my shoulder carefully and shaking my hand. I smiled and whispered a thank you. I could never thank him enough. He smiled back and walked into the house with the rest of them, giving Bella and I some privacy.

She looked up at me with a sad smile, tracing my healthy cheek with her knuckles.

"I don't want to leave you." I said quietly. I wanted her to come with me. I would gladly sit on my knees and beg for her to come. I didn't. And I wouldn't. It was far too selfish of me.

I'd already taken so much from the Cullen's, and I wasn't about to take their daughter from them too. I didn't know how this whole Vampire thing worked or if any of the myths were true or not, but I wasn't about to take Bella away from them. I'd already been the cause of so many of their fights.

"I told you, it wont be long until you see me again." She said with a small smile, resting her hand in the nape of my neck. She pulled back slightly and picked something up off the work bench.

"I'm not bringing that with me." I said, staring down at the gun with mild surprise. Bella rolled her eyes and threw it into the open car window where it landed in the passenger seat.

"Just take it, please, to ease my mind? I might see you soon, but it will still be a while. I can't follow you, like I wanted, because it would be far too suspicious if we left at the same time. But you need to leave now, your already going to have to stomp on it." She said, pushing me gently towards the car.

I pulled her to me, not really caring if I was making everything harder for myself later on.

She hugged me back tightly, before pulling back and pushing me towards the car again, trying to get me to leave. I turned around quickly and pecked her lips, before turning around and hurrying into the car. It purred to life, and I could tell that I wouldn't have any trouble with it.

I glanced over at her slightly surprised face and pushed my glasses up my nose.

"I'm not saying goodbye." She declared in that lovely voice I would miss. I nodded and gave her a tight smile before I shot out of the garage like a clown from hell.

* * *

I am so, so sorry, but that doesn't matter. There is no excuse for what I've done. BUT! I do have a new computer now, so updating will be easyer!

Please Review, no Flames! *Forgive me?* *Puppy dog eyes*


	14. Chapter 14

- Edward-

I glanced up at the black sky that was sparkling with scattered stars. I'd always longed to be with them, ever since I was a little boy. But now… I just wanted to go back to Bella and hold her in my arms.

I'd never really missed anyone before, so the feeling was foreign to me. I didn't like it. It was as if someone had taken one of my lungs, leaving a big empty hole in my chest, gaping and throbbing with no meaning of healing until the lung was back in its rightful place.

Three days had gone by, and this was the first real stop I had. I'd stopped for gas and bathroom breaks, but I hadn't stopped to sleep.

No matter how many miles I drove away from Forks, it never seemed enough. I knew I was getting paranoid, seeing Henry's face on every single person I saw. I knew I was starting to lose my mind when I saw his face on the body of a two year old girl in the playground.

It was silly of me to act like this. Henry himself couldn't come and get me, because I'd broken his back, and thanks to me, he was now paralyzed from the waist down.

I really should just be scared of everyone, because I could trust no one. I didn't know what kind of crazy psycho he'd sent to come and kill me or bring me back to Forks.

I looked down at the letter Carlisle had written me. It was filled with a huge amount of money, to "_Get_ _me_ _on_ _my_ _feet_," as the letter said, and a pair of keys to an apartment in Virginia. It didn't feel right to take all of this from them. It gave my mouth a sour flavor.

And, of course, the file that I still hadn't opened. The one with the name _Edward Anthony Thorn _on it_. _I didn't know who that was, but I had a hunch, and I didn't know what that would mean for me.

I don't know how they got their hands on it, but then again, I probably didn't want to know. The point was that I had it. And another point was that I was too scared to open it.

I don't know why. It's not like some creepy clown was going to jump out and attack me. And I was pretty sure it wouldn't squirt me in the eye with poison.

But like Bella had once said, '_Human_ _ignorance_ _is_ _bliss_,' and I was starting to realize just how true that saying really was. What kind of information was worth killing someone over? And just so I wouldn't find out.

I jumped off the hood of the car and jumped into the big, comfy drivers seat, pulling the blanked around me and snuggling into it and making myself as cozy as possible. It didn't have anything on holding Bella at night, but it was better then nothing.

I finally felt safe enough to sleep, something I needed desperately at the moment. I'd parked in the woods somewhere, but I wasn't even sure what state I was in. I'd lost track, too tired to even care anymore.

I pulled the glasses off and laid them on the dashboard, yawning and closing my eyes sleepily. I took a deep breath from the blanket, and a small smile lit up my face. The first one in three days.

The blanket smelled like Bella, and I fell into a deep sleep with her sent swirling around my head.

**--X--**

I woke up with the sun glaring in my face. I put my glasses on quickly, the paranoia creeping back into my mind. I took in my surroundings, and relaxed slightly when nobody was around.

I glanced at the gun Bella had given me and scoffed. Like I would ever have the guts to shoot anyone. Even if they tried to kill me, I wouldn't have had the guts to pull the trigger.

After eating some energy bars and drinking some stale water, I started up the car and drove back on the road, still tired as hell.

I drove for day's without stopping, too scared to do anything else. I sang along with the radio, talked aloud with myself to stay awake and thought about the life Bella and I might have had if I had had a normal life. Not that the life Bella and I might have together would ever be normal, seeing as she's a vampire and all.

I desperately needed to stop for a warm meal, no longer being able to survive on energy bars and soda. I stopped at a small diner late at night, and much to my luck, the place seemed deserted.

I pulled the hood of my gray sweater up over my head, hiding my hair color. I still hadn't stopped to dye it, something that I needed to do soon. Nobody had such a strange shade of bronze, not even my mother, so it was easy to remember, and it stood out.

"What can I get you, boy?" The man behind the counter asked gruffly, and I felt my whole body stiffen. The way he said '_boy'_, reminded me about Henry, and I could feel the blood draining from my face.

"I'm taking to you kid, I aint got all day." He said gruffly, clearing his throat noisily.

"Breakfast, sir." I mumbled, not wanting him to hear my voice. I felt kind of silly, being this secretive, but I felt that it was necessary.

The man nodded and walked into the backroom without another word. I slid into a booth in the back of the diner and pulled the menu in front of my face, just in case.

I had been thinking about calling Bella for day's now, imagining what I would say to her. But then my paranoia kicked in and I'd abandon that idea. What if someone were listening to the phone? There was no way for me to be sure, and I wasn't about to risk everything just to hear her voice.

"Here you go kid." The gruff voice said, and I jumped in my seat, dropping the menu. There were two other people in the diner, and both of them looked up at me strangely. I looked away too fast to see their faces, opting to rather stare at the gruff man glaring down at me instead.

"Thanks…" I mumbled, pulling the plate towards me slowly. I don't think I'd normally eat what was on the plate, but I was too hungry to care at the moment.

The man nodded, his bald head shining slightly in the dim light, before going back to wiping down the counter with a nasty looking rug.

I ate quickly, well aware of the two strangers, a petite woman and a muscular man, arguing and looking my way. It made me nervous, and I wanted to get out of the diner as fast as possible.

I put a few bills on the table for the creepy owner and scrambled out of the booth quickly. I could feel my palms starting to sweat when both of them stood up with a grace I'd only seen on vampires, and started gliding my way.

I walked faster, trying to get out of there before they could stop me, although I knew in the back of my mind that I had no chance against any of them if they were what I thought they were. I'd seen what Vampires were capable off, and I'd only seen a little bit.

I walked faster, pushing the dirty door open with my shoulder, and sped up to get to my car. I heard the door close behind me and open a second later.

Two other set of feet joined my own on the gravel, and I could feel my heart beat quickening. What the hell was I going to do now? Were they good guys or bad guys? Should I start running?

"Hey kid!" The man called after me with a deep voice. It was flawless. They had to be vampires. Or maybe the paranoia was kicking in for real now. I couldn't tell anymore.

I slowed down slightly and turned, but I kept walking backwards, because I didn't feel safe enough to stop. There was something off with these people, and I wasn't about to find out what that was.

"Yes?" I asked in a low voice, which I knew would be too low for humans. They stared at each other quickly, and I could almost tell what they were thinking. _'This_ _is_ _him_, _the_ _right_ _guy'_. It did not ease my mind.

They walked faster now, and I knew it was pointless of me to even try and escape, but the closer I was to my car, the safer I felt.

Both of their faces were flawless, just like the Cullen's, and I knew I had to be right.

The man and I shared the same height and built, only he had muscles, and I didn't. His face was handsome, and his hair was a dark, curly brown. His skin had an olive tint to it, I noticed absently.

The woman had a light brown hair, hanging in waves around her small face. She had small, intense red eyes that studied every movement I made. I pushed my glasses up the ridge of my nose slightly, waiting expectantly. Both of them were impossibly beautiful.

"Hi, my name is Oliver, and this is my…_girlfriend_, Nicole. We were just wondering, do you happen to know a girl named Isabella?" He asked politely, with the hint of a long lost accent in his prefect voice. I felt a cool stone in the pit of my stomach freeze up.

This had to be the guy Bella had a history with, and I didn't know how long that story was, or what he was to her, but from the way Rosalie was talking, I knew he was a former lover. Just like Rosalie said, I wasn't the first, and probably not the last…

"Um, no, I don't." I mumbled, not wanting to talk to him. How could she like me if she'd been dating a guy like him? He looked like a model, while I looked like the kind of guy you find hanging around comic fairs and basements, surfing porn on the internet. What was I thinking, kissing her goodbye? She was probably just doing it out of pity, and she was probably laughing up a storm with Alice and Emmett about the pathetic, ugly human that kissed her.

"Funny, because you reek of her sent…" He said quietly, and I backed away further. His eyes went from crimson to black, and he licked his lower lip slowly. I raised an eyebrow, not sure about what was going on but having a pretty damn good idea about what it might be.

Nicole blinked slowly before putting a pale hand on Oliver's arm, silently stopping him from whatever he was planning on doing.

"What my mate means, is that I know that you know what we are, human, and it smells like our old friend Isabella let you live to tell the tale, something that is very, _very_ bad." She said with a slow, seductive voice.

My eyes darted from her face to his, wondering how the hell they could know that. Was it a Vampire thing?

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm sorry but I don't have time for this. Goodbye." I said abruptly, spinning on my heal and hurrying away as fast as possible.

I wasn't even taking my first step before I felt a cold, hard stone hand clamp around my shoulder. Most of my wounds were healed by now, but it still hurt to make sudden movements.

I clenched my eyes shut, and opened them again before turning around, shrugging Oliver's big hand of my shoulder.

"She might not have told you this, pet, but its illegal for humans to know about Vampires unless their ether going to be turned into one, or their about to become someone's meal. Do you know what the punishment for telling a human is?" Oliver asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in slight anger. I shook my head, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Death, my sweet." Nicole said in a cold, emotionless voice.

"You mean Bella's in danger?" I asked urgently, and slapped a hand over my mouth when I realized my mistake. Both of them smiled like the cat who caught the canary.

"Thought you said you didn't know anyone named Isabella?" Oliver said, crossing his arms over his chest just like me, and raising his head slightly, as if he was looking down on me. I rolled my eyes, realizing that there was no point in telling that lie anymore.

I had a feeling I wouldn't live much longer anyway.

"Is she alright or not?" I asked again, agitated. They glanced at each other and then back at me.

"For now," Nicole said with a slightly evil grin on her mouth. Oliver looked uncomfortable, and I could see his eyes getting lighter.

"She's fine, we're not going to tell on her. But how come you know and your still alive?" Oliver asked me with a puzzled look, dropping the mean guy façade.

"What do you mean _'how_ _come_ _your_ _still_ _alive_?' I hardly know anything." I snapped, turning around and walking to my car. I'd had enough of this bullshit. I was tired, sleepy, and pretty sure I'd just eaten something close to dog vomit, so to say that I wasn't in the mood for a conversation with Bella's freaking amazing ex-boyfriend or whatever the hell he was to her, was putting it lightly.

For the second time in few minutes, I felt a hand clamp over my shoulder. He spun me around, getting a little frustrated now. Nicole growled warningly at me deep within her chest, her red eyes turning black.

"You will stand still when I speak to you, child. We said that Bella might be safe. You, on the other hand, have no business knowing about our kind." Oliver snarled, pulling his upper lip over his white, sharp teeth.

I gulped slightly, trying to think of some way to get out of this situation.

"Bella wasn't the one who told me." I said quickly, hoping the hand on my shoulder would ease up some. It felt like the bone would crack any second now.

Oliver raised an eyebrow at me, silently asking me if I thought he was stupid.

"Its true, I learned from an old Indian tribe, about the Cold ones. It's a myth, and I put two and two together and that's how I know. I swear, Bella never told me a thing." And that was the truth. She showed me a hell of a lot, but she never told me straight out. Ironically, Rosalie was the one who told me.

They gave each other a weird look. The kind you see between a married couple that's having a conversation without words. I could tell that Nicole didn't believe me.

"What tribe? And where?" She challenged me, looking down her nose at me as well.

I didn't want to risk Jacobs life, or send them to Bella or the Cullen's, not after everything they'd done for me.

"Relax, we're old friends of Bella. We won't harm her." Oliver tried to reassure me. It wasn't hurting her I was concerned about. The Cullen's could take care of themselves, I knew that now. It was him, Oliver, that I didn't like. He was too…Handsome, I guess.

What if Bella wanted to get back together with him? What if she realized what a looser I really was?

I instantly felt stupid for being jealous. I had no right to claim Bella as my own, and despite what she said, the chances of me ever seeing her again were slim.

She deserved to be happy. If he was what she wanted.

"I can't remember the name of the tribe, but its in Washington, and that's all I'm saying." I said finally, not wanting to give anymore information.

I saw their lips moving, but I couldn't hear a sound. Nicole gestured to something to the front pocked of her dirty blue jacket enthusiastically.

"That's fine human, that's more then enough information." She said with a gleeful smile, ignoring Oliver's reluctant face.

"Tell you what, pet. If you keep this stone for us until we come back to collect it from you, we'll let you live. How about it?" Nicole asked, pulling out a emerald stone from her front pocket. Oliver cleared his throat, but didn't say anything.

"Go on, _take_ _it_." She said when I didn't react.

Hesitantly, I took the stone from her pale white hand, and clenched my fingers around it. It was sort of warm, but it was smooth as well.

"So let me get this straight. All you want me to do, is keep the rock until you come find me, and then I'll live?" I asked hesitantly.

Nicole nodded quickly, pulling Oliver's arm around her.

"Yes, no Vampire in the world will ever harm you if you have that stone." She promised me mischievously. I felt like I was missing something, and that they were having a joke at my expense, but if all they wanted me to do was hold on to a stupid little rock, I'd do it.

"What's your name, kid?" Oliver asked tightly, looking at me with distaste.

"Edward." I mumbled, putting the stone into my pocket.

"I'll tell Bella you said hi." He said, nodding once. I turned around and walked away from them, wanting to get the hell away from this place as fast as possible.

I jumped into the car and started up the engine, pulling out of there as quickly as possible. I could feel my heartbeat going back to normal, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn't believe I'd just survived an encounter with two bloodthirsty vampires.

I laughed a slightly hysterical laugh, running a shaky hand thru my unruly hair. I was thinking about shaving it all of, but if I just died it, I would be able to hide my face better.

I had planned to dye my hair in a pond, but with Bella's ex-lover and his crazy mate just down the street, I wasn't about to stop. I took the stone out of my pocket and laid it on the seat beside the gun.

I could almost feel the heat radiating of off it, so I put the blanket over it. Still, I could feel the heat coming off it. What kind of stone is warm anyway? It's against the laws of nature that a stone can heat itself up like that without getting any sort of help from another energy source.

I pulled the blanked off and jumped slightly when I saw that the stone was glowing, almost blinding me with an emerald glow.

"What kind of freaky stone is this?!" I yelled, trying to see thru the blinding lights. I wasn't stopping. Period. Not whit those psychos behind me, however far away that might be.

Hurriedly, I put the blanket over it again, but it was still glowing pretty strong.

"_Shit_." I muttered, contemplating just throwing it out the window. A little voice in the back of my mind told me not to, seeing as it was the only thing keeping me safe from the vampires around the world at the moment.

I kept on driving, despite the fact that I could hardly see anything. I think I hit a raccoon somewhere on the road, but I couldn't be sure about it. I hit something big, that's for sure.

Finally, I felt that I was far enough away to stop by the side of the road to put the stone into a backpack or put it under the seat.

I came to a screeching halt, jumping out of my seat quickly. There was blood all over one of the back wheals, I noticed with a frown. Poor raccoon.

Walking around the car, I could see the green light flowing thru the tinted windows. Carefully, I pulled the door open, and tried to hide my eyes from the lights.

I don't know what happened after that, and I suppose I never will. I can't say how long I laid on the grown, ten feet away from the car into the woods, although it seemed like years, it must have been minutes, maybe an hour tops.

I sat up slowly, clutching my head in my hand. I found my glasses not too far away, putting them on and standing up slowly, dusting of the forest floor from my dirty clothes. I'd been gone for almost two weeks and already I was looking like a hobo.

I walked back to the car. The light was gone, and the car door was still wide open. Maybe someone knocked me out from behind and stole it?

But no, the stone was there, like I knew in the back of my mind. Nobody would want a creepy, glowing stone like that. There's a reason why Oliver and Nicole gave it away in the first place.

And it had seemed like they were playing a joke on me. Well, Nicole anyway. It didn't look like Oliver wanted to give me the stone at all.

I picked it up, and it was almost like a huge lump in my chest got heavier, one that I'd never noticed before. It was uncomfortable, and I tried to cough and clear my throat, but to no use. The thing in my chest was still there.

I dropped the weird stone to the ground, and the lump eased up slightly, but it didn't disappear completely. Bending down, I picked it up and threw it as far as I could into the woods. Seconds later, I heard it hitting some trees on the way down before hitting the forest floor.

Satisfied, and feeling a lot better, I hurried back into the car and started it up again. I was still far away from civilization, so I felt pretty safe for now.

I don't know what the deal with that stone was, but it was probably all just a big joke.

I rubbed my chest with my palm and tried to clear my throat again, but it was useless. The lump was there to stay, and that was that.

I pulled the blanked over my shoulders with one hand, and grabbed at bottle of stale water from the passenger seat, only to feel my hand closing around something warm and smooth.

I stomped on the breaks, pulled down the window roughly and threw the damn stone out of the car as quickly as possible.

_What the hell_ _is_ _going on_…? I thought to myself, remembering clearly that I threw it into the woods only minutes ago.

I started driving again, passing the first house I'd seen all day, except for the diner of course, that really couldn't be called a diner at all. I was pretty sure that the eggs I'd eaten weren't from chickens, or the meat from a pig. Well, it might be a wild boar.

Trying to think of something else, I started making a plan. The first thing I had to do tomorrow morning was find a place to dye my hair, and buy some chough medicine for my chest.

But for now, I needed to find out where I was and a map of the state I was in. I needed to get to New York as fast as possible.

* * *

**Hey Everyone! I'm going to be late for my next class, just for you guys :P Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try not to take too long on the next chapter. **

**So what do you think, Brown hair on Edward? **

**And I know you voted on having Oliver in the story, and most of you wanted him in, so there you go. Everything with Nicole and him will be explained later, so there's no need to ask about that. **

**Reivews? =)**


	15. Chapter 15

-- Bella --

"What do you mean you can't see him?!" I yelled, feeling the panic creeping up my stomach. People started staring, and whispering about my outburst. Alice glared at me, and kicked my foot under the table.

She closed her eyes and concentrated while Jasper was holding my hand and sending me waves of calm.

Edward had been gone for a little over two weeks now, and Alice had been keeping a close watch on his every move, making sure he was okay. We were sitting in the cafeteria when she suddenly couldn't see him anymore. The last thing she'd seen was him parking outside a grimy diner.

"Bella relax, okay? People are starting to stare." Emmett tried to sooth me, glaring at everyone who looked our way. They turned around quickly, but everyone was still whispering about me.

Alice opened her eyes again and shook her head, looking at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry Bella, but he disappeared. Its like there's some kind of force hiding him, as if he's just out of reach. I don't understand _why_…" She whispered, too low and fast for the humans to hear.

I stood up quickly, ripping my wrist out of Jaspers roughly. Everybody looked up as I marched out of the cafeteria, trying to keep my legs moving at a human pace.

I heard the others moving after me quietly. As soon as the cafeteria doors closed, I started running for the parking lot. I heard the others running after me, and I didn't even make it out of school before Jasper picked me up, holding my arms tightly to my sides. I tried kicking him, only succeeding in kicking a huge whole in the brick wall, which should be impossible for even a car to do.

"Damn it Bella, calm down!" Emmett growled, picking up a few lockers and placing them in front of the hole. We could thank our lucky stars for the school being poor. They couldn't afford video cameras.

I breathed in deeply, and tried to except Jaspers calm waves. It worked, slightly.

"You can't just go after him Bella, you know that! It will look too suspicious. Besides, you don't know where he is, and even if you did, you still wouldn't be able to go because of Henry and you _know_ all of this damn it!" Alice rambled quickly, holding my shoulders tightly, trying to shake some sense into my stubborn body. Rosalie pretended to yawn, and started studying her nails.

We hadn't said a word to each other after Edward left, which, not surprisingly, was a very pleasant change.

"But he could be in danger! Why the _hell_ would he just disappear for you like that? That only happens with, with Werewolf's and Shape shifters, and Mermaids and other creepy creatures! Something is wrong, and I'm not going to sit on my ass and do nothing while some, some _thing _is out there hurting him! I _wont!_ And I don't care how suspicious Henry might be, or that damn Charlie, I only care about Edward." I seethed, glaring at all of them.

"Can we at least go home before you go running off to rescue your Romeo?" Rosalie asked, shocking everyone.

"What? I have P.E after lunch." She defended herself, which explained everything. If it was one thing we all hated with school, it was P.E. Having to hold yourself back and shower with a bunch of hormonal humans wasn't exactly fun.

"Rose is right, lets get home and discuss this with Carlisle and Esme-" Jasper started, but stopped when we heard the door open. Mr. Wilson came out of the teachers lounge, glaring at us. He straightened up his tie and walked towards us.

"Oh great." Emmett muttered, loud enough for him to hear. Mr. Wilson glared back at him, smoothening down his hairless head.

"Why aren't you kids having lunch?" He asked stiffly, glaring at all of us. He raised a white eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"We were just heading out, sir. Esme called, and it's a family emergency, so we-" Alice started sweetly, but stopped at his glare. He glanced over at the moved locker.

"Do you know how many years I've worked at this school, Mr. Cullen?" He asked Emmett. The two of them had some type of war going on between them that no one really understood.

"A hundred, sir?" Emmett quipped politely. Mr. Wilson's glare intensified.

"38, Emmett, _38_ _years_. And for 38 years, those lockers have been standing at the same place. Can any of you kids tell me why they are moved?" He snapped, pointing at the empty locker space.

We all shook our heads, muttering no. He nodded once and turned his nose in the air before turning around. He started walking down the hall before stopping.

"Oh, and Jasper, put your sister down, someone might get the wrong idea." He said snidely. I glared after him and opened my palm, shooting a itching plant after him. There was no salves that could calm the itching down from this plant, so he would be scratching his back raw for weeks to come. It wouldn't kick in before tonight though, so he wouldn't suspect us for having anything to do with it.

Jasper released me, and I started hurrying out to the parking lot.

"Someone call Carlisle and tell him to get his ass home _now_. I'm not waiting on him if he's not there when we get home." I said angrily, almost ripping the door off my car. The others slipped in while Jasper was on the phone with Carlisle.

"He's on his way." He muttered, and I nodded, slipping out of the narrow parking lot faster then I'd ever gone before.

Henry was awake, and as Alice had predicted, he was paralyzed from the waist down. Edward had basically cut his spine in two, and it was a miracle that he'd even survived.

But, he was keeping an eye out for Edward. That much we knew. He had people in every single state looking for him, and a private detective, trying to trail after him. We'd been working hard to throw them off course, and so far it had worked, but we couldn't know that anymore now that Alice had lost sight of him.

Henry wasn't stupid, but I doubted that he knew we were Vampires, but the only possible explanation I had for Edward disappearing now was him sending Werewolf's after him.

But why would he do that? As far as we knew, the Wolf's didn't work for him. Heck, he didn't even know about the Wolf's true identity. We were aware about the drained body they'd found on their land, but that must have been those nomads that traveled through a few moths ago.

I pulled up into the driveway quickly, stomping on the breaks.

I jumped out and was in the house faster then Jasper, who was the quickest one of us. Damn his long legs.

Carlisle was sitting on the couch with Esme, much to my disappointment. I wanted to leave now, not talk rationally about what we should do. I already knew what had to be done.

"Come sit Bella, just for a little while." Alice insisted, steering me towards the living room. I huffed and stomped over there, leaving a trail of fire flowers on the floor after me. They were full of poison, and could burn a humans skin off. Not very pleasant. Even Vampires felt uncomfortable around them. The juice was so strong, it could burn through a vampires skin. It's a good thing the plant didn't excist anymore.

"You just keep looking Alice." I snapped, sitting down in a chair, crossing my arms and staring at Esme and Carlisle expectantly.

"Well? I'm not going to sit here if your all just going to stare at me. Why couldn't I just go with him, like I wanted to in the first place?" I snarled. Carlisle sighed but didn't answer me. He knew that I knew the answer to that.

"The best thing to do right now would be to send Esme after him, because no one in town would miss her." Carlisle proposed with a frown. I could tell that the idea of sending his wife out to fight some unknown creature didn't appeal to him. I laughed a harsh laugh.

"And what can she do? Esme isn't exactly the best fighter in the world, and she can't stay with him forever. The best thing would be to let me follow him. I could stay with him, and I could protect him. Plus, I can fight more Vampires at once with my power." I reasoned.

"And what about Henry and Charlie? Everybody is expecting you to follow him Bella."

"So what?! it's a _fucking_ human, Carlisle! I'll kill the son of a bitch if you don't let me go after Edward, same goes for Charlie." I said, seething. I knew I'd made a mistake when I didn't hide in his trunk like I'd promised myself I'd do. Carlisle had held me back then, but not anymore. It was time for me to be Bella again, and not a Cullen. I felt like they were choking me with all their good intentions.

"You can't mean that Bella." He said quietly, his wise eyes hardening. I stood up, ready to leave.

"Ether both of them dies, and I leave, or you let me go now, and I come back and kill Henry later. Ether way that man is dying. Its time I took control of the situation, because we tried your plan, and it failed. I'm sorry Carlisle, but this isn't working. Edward could be in serious danger, and I'm not willing to risk his life any more then you've already done.

"I'm a Vampire for earths sake! I'm stronger, faster and smarter than any silly little human. You might have faith in the humans, Carlisle, but what have they ever done to fucking deserve it?" I said harshly, making him flinch.

Alice sucked in a ragged breath, sitting down on the floor. Her eyes were glazed over, and she muttered incoherently for a few seconds before snapping out of it. Her eyes planted themselves on my face, and her brows furrowed.

"Oliver and Nicole are coming." She whispered, standing up quickly. I rolled my eyes and threw my hands in the air. A vase exploded somewhere in the kitchen, and I tried to keep my anger under control. Just like him to pick the perfect time to come visit. I hadn't seen Oliver since 1912, and all of a sudden he wants to see me again?

"When? And where are they now?" Carlisle asked, and I could tell that he was trying to hide the hurt in his voice. I hated doing this to him, and I knew that it was killing him inside that I was leaving. But I'd rather hurt his feelings and leave, then let Edward die in the hands of some creature.

"Their vest of Kentucky, coming closer every second. They'll be here sometime tomorrow." Alice said, snapping out of yet another vision.

"Bella you have to stay, they want to talk with you." She insisted. I shook my head, grabbing a pair of keys and walking down to the basement where I picked up a huge amount of lighters, matches, just to be sure, and everything I might possibly need on my trip.

"Then you can tell him that he can call me, if he knows how to use the phone." I said, rolling my eyes. I threw everything into my backpack and ran up the stairs again. I didn't have anything of sentimental value, and I didn't need to bring clothes or anything like that.

Emmett grabbed my shoulders, stopping me from running out the door.

"Please don't do this Bella." He whispered, hugging me to his huge chest.

"How will you resist all the blood? We work so hard to be good, and your just going to throw that away by killing a human? Please don't leave us again, you're my best friend, Bells. I don't want you to leave." He whispered into my hair.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him back. This was the first time I hadn't just left without them getting a chance to stop me. I felt a slight lump in my throat, and swallowed hard to push it down.

"You're my best friend too, Emmett. But if someone tortured Rosalie and were after her, wouldn't you kill them then?" I whispered back, trying to make him understand. Trying to make all of them understand.

I wasn't a hateful person. I loved to just relax, have fun and be with my family. But when someone threatened someone I loved, I couldn't just let them get away with it.

"And I'm a lot stronger then you give me credit for. I wont drink their blood, I swear." I said, pulling back from him slightly. I walked to the door, stopped and turned back around to look at my family.

"I'm sorry…dad, for going against you like this. But I love Edward more, and I hate that you guys are making me choose…Alice, please, try to keep looking for him. I need to know that he's okay. I'll see you when I see you. Tell Oliver to call me." I said, and with that, I ran out of the house, jumping into the car and flooring it before they could say anything else.

I saw all of them in the rear view mirror, looking after me. That was the last thing I saw before I took a turn, and they were out of sight.

I drove for 23.6 seconds before something jumped on the hood of my car. I hadn't even noticed anything following me. I slammed on the breaks, hopping out of the car, standing in a crunch, ready fight, only to straighten up again when I saw Emmett sitting on the roof, Indian style, playing with a dead branch.

"Emmett go home." I said, leaning against the car door. He looked down at me, giving me a half smile, showing his dimple.

"Now you know I'm not going to let you fight some unknown creature without me being there to protect you. You're my baby sis." He said, looking at me through his lashes. I shook my head in exasperation, but a small smile slipped through anyway. A white flower bloomed out from behind my ear, laying itself in my hair prettily.

Emmett saw and grinned, jumping off the car and into the passenger seat. I hurried in after him, stomping on it.

"If you get hurt, I swear I'll kick your ass." I threatened, making him boom out a laugh. I missed it, because it was something I hadn't heard in a long time. There had been too much tension around the house lately, and I think we all needed a break from one another.

"What does Rose think about this?" I asked hesitantly. Emmett sighed, looking over at me.

"What do you think? I have to do a lot of begging when I get back home. Besides, I'm only staying with you guys until I know you'll be safe and okay." He said with a shrug, his huge hand turning on the radio. One thing I loved about Emmett was that our taste in music was the same, so there was no fighting him when he found 'Korn' playing.

"Why don't we wait for Oliver and this Nicole chick?" He asked after we'd been driving for a few hours. It was the first time any of us had said anything at all.

"Why?" I asked, looking over at him, puzzled.

"Well, you remember that Alice said that she saw them from time to time before, right?" He asked, and I nodded, keeping my eyes on the road.

"That was 54 years ago, and she hasn't seen them once since. Don't you think it's a little strange that the minute she stops seeing Edward, she can see Oliver and Nicole?" He asked, clasping his hands together in his lap.

I felt both of my eyebrows rise in surprise. That was strange. Very strange, in fact.

"I didn't think about that…" I muttered, but I didn't turn around or make any move to stop.

"Why do you think that is?" I asked him, taking a left turn. He shrugged, and picked up his cell phone, pushing the 3.

"Do you know why?" Was the first thing he asked, not even bothering with a hi.

"_No, but they keep talking about the shape shifters, and a stone_. _Oliver wants to tell us about it, but Nicole doesn't_." I heard Alice answer on the other side.

"Shape shifters? Do you mean the wolves or the actual shape shifters?" I asked, knowing she could hear me.

"_I don't know yet, and its hard to say. I'll have to wait until they get here. Bella I said that you should have stayed put-" _I grabbed the phone and turned it off, making Emmett raise an eyebrow.

"She's just trying to help, Bells." He muttered.

"And that's fine, but she can help without lecturing me. I get enough of that in school." I muttered.

"Are you coming back?" He asked, knowing that he'd have to go back. I shook my head.

"Not for school, no. But I am coming back to kill that vile human. Even from his own death bed he manages to ruin Edwards life." I muttered darkly. Emmett nodded, but didn't say anything.

After driving through the whole night, we stopped at a gas station. It was still early, so the guy who pumped up our gas was too tired to even check out my boobs. Emmett tried to convince me that the guy was gay.

"Do you smell that?" He asked me when the guy walked back into the gas station, and we could hear him pull a blanked over him. Poor guy was living there.

I sniffed the air and could faintly smell the sweet smell of Vampire. One of the smells was a little too familiar. Oliver.

"Oh _man_." I muttered, closing my eyes and letting my head fall on the steering wheal.

"What? Is that Oliver and Nicole?" Emmett asked, never actually met him.

After I'd left him and his new mate, I wandered the world for a while alone, before I came back to America, where I met Alice and Jasper. I'd told all of them about Oliver, and Nicole, but none of them had ever actually seen any of them.

"Yes." I muttered, huffing in annoyance.

"Damn it! We don't have time for this! Ugh!" I banged my head back, breaking the seat. Emmett chuckled, and jumped out of the car. I cursed under my breath and got out as well, slamming the door a little harder then necessary. It made the whole car shake.

I walked around it and leaned up against it, crossing my arms in front of my chest. Emmett leaned back beside me, crossing his arms as well.

"Why are you so grumpy all of a sudden?" He whispered quickly. We could hear them now, and we knew that they were aware of us.

"It's not exactly fun to meet up with a ex-mate and his new mate." I muttered, making him laugh again.

They broke thru the trees then, and he looked as lovely as he had the first time I'd seen him. I might not love the man in that way, but I wasn't blind ether.

I don't know why I was surprised, but it shocked me that he looked just the same as the time that I left him. His brown curls were the same, he had the same straight nose, high cheekbones, amazing body, red eyes… and the same skank hanging off his arm.

Nicole smirked at me, as if she knew what I was thinking. I might not want Oliver back, but I was still bitter about her taking him away from me. Oliver had been one of the best things that had ever happened to me, and she just snatched him away from me. Even after everything I'd done for her.

"Isabella…Ah, still as lovely as ever." Oliver said, walking up to me with open arms.

I plastered on a fake smile, hugging him quickly. It was scary how familiar the feeling of his arms around me was. Surprisingly enough, I felt nothing for him at all, no matter how charming his smile was, or the way his lips felt on my cheeks.

"I see you have a mate now as well." He said, gesturing to Emmett's gigantic form. He towered over all of us. Nicole glared at him threateningly, but I knew there was no danger from her. She was harmless, always hiding behind Oliver. I laughed lightly, shaking my head.

"No, Emmett isn't my mate. He's my brother. Emmett, this is Oliver and his mate, Nicole." I said, trying to hide my disgust the best I could.

Nicole gave him a tight smile, and Oliver shook his hand politely.

"Isabella, darling, we came over the strangest little human yesterday. A boy with big green eyes, oh, what was his name again…?" She pretended to think. Oliver rolled his eyes slightly.

"Edward, love, Edward. He knows, Isabella. What were you thinking?" He asked me, staring into my golden eyes with concern.

"It doesn't matter, we, fixed the problem, so to speak." Nicole said with a girlish giggle. All eyes snapped to her, and she clutched Oliver's arm. She smiled devilishly up at me.

"We gave him a little something something. We figured that you didn't have the heart to kill him, so we took care of for you." She said with an evil grin. My eyes widened and I could feel dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I snarled, grabbing after her throat. Emmett grabbed me much like Jasper had in school the day before, and Oliver took a protective stance in front of her. Nicole's smirk widened.

"Don't act so surprised, Isabella, you know the rules. No humans are allowed to know. He knew, so he had to die. But don't worry, he's not dead yet. I think." She said, letting out another giggle. I snarled and lunged for her again.

"That's enough! We gave him the stone." Oliver tried to explain, still standing protectively in front of Nicole.

"What kind of stone?" asked Emmett, grunting with the effort of holding me back.

"The shape shifters stone." Oliver said, but didn't offer any more information.

"What does that mean?" Emmett asked, kicking the back of my knees, making them buckle. I growled in annoyance, my eyes never leaving Nicole's face.

"It means that you can go back home, because you can't find him now. No Vampire can. Not the Volturi, not you, not even we can find him. But, he is fair game for the shape shifters.

"We've had it for 13 years now, and they've hunted us since we stole it. The only reason we're still alive is because we're Vampires. It wont be long until they track down Edward, take the stone back and… well, kill him." Oliver said, staring at the ground.

I let out a loud snarl, waking the human inside the gas station. He didn't get up though.

"Why, why would you do that?!" I all but screamed at him. His head snapped up and he looked at me in surprise.

"Well I figured that he was some sort of pet of yours, Isabella, but you know the rules as well as the next Vampire. No humans are allowed to know. Besides, you can't have been very fond of him if you let him out into the world all alone without any protection." Oliver reasoned, staring at me with alarm. I was almost hysterical, trying to get to Nicole, who was laughing at me.

I wanted to rip her fucking smug little face of.

"I love him!" I yelled between growls. I wouldn't cry, not in front of them. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

"But… he's food." Nicole said with disgust. I shook my head and stopped struggling so much, although I was happy that Emmett was holding me back. Nicole would be dead by now if he wasn't.

"What the hell were you thinking? Giving him- What am I going to do?!" I snarled, frustrated. I knew that tears would be running down my face by now if I was human.

"I'm sorry Isabella. I had no idea. I - this might not help, but there's no point in going after him. He no longer has a sent or a heartbeat. Besides, the stone makes him blend into the background. He might be the only person in a field and you still wouldn't really notice him. You'd see him, and he'd see you. But you wouldn't know that he was there. I'm sorry, but that's how the stone works." Oliver said slowly, laying a hand on my shoulder.

I bit him, hard, and made sure my venom came into it. He yelped in pain, and drew his hand back quickly, clutching it tightly to his chest. Nicole hissed, and I snarled right back at her. Emmett huffed, and I knew that he had a hard time holding me back.

"You're behind this, aren't you?" I growled, trying to grab at her throat again. She jumped back, no longer standing behind Oliver.

I opened my palm and made two thick veins come out of the ground, grabbing them before they could move so much as an inch.

"Bella, put them down!" Emmett said, trying to throw off my concentration. I was too angry to respond.

"You're going to tell me, right now, how I can save him." I said in a low, dangerous voice. I could almost feel my eyes glowing with anger. The veins tightened around them, and I could tell that it was hurting. They struggled to get loose, but it was useless. Nothing could get out of my plants.

"Its impossible!" Oliver yelled. A trail of venom ran down his leg from where his arm was pulsing.

"TELL ME!" I screamed, tightening the plants even more.

"Alright, alright!" Nicole yelled, gasping in pain. Her eyes were bulging. I made a third vain behind me that picked Emmett up.

"Bella come on, I'm on your side!" He whined, knowing that I'd never hurt him. I loosened the hold on her slightly, but only enough for her to breath. It was still painful.

"I don't know if it will work, but its your best shot. Find the shape shifters and ask for them not to kill him." She gasped out. "Or us." She added, and I tightened the plant on her slightly.

"Isabella…_please_…" Oliver begged, and I ignored him. He had basically killed Edward. No way in hell was I letting him go.

"Where do I find them?" I asked in a calm voice.

"I don't know," Nicole hissed. Lie. I started to tighten it again.

"Wait, _wait_! Okay, relax. Stop hurting Oliver and I'll tell you!" She promised, her small red eyes staring wildly from me to Oliver. I loosened him enough so he could breath.

"Talk."

"Go to New York City. Little Italy." She said hurriedly. I made a few fire flowers on the inside of her vein, making the juice burn through her clothes and start eating her flesh. She let out a shriek, and started to wither in pain. She tried to pull herself free, but it was, like before, useless.

"Isabella stop it!" Oliver roared, struggling to get to her.

"Who should we talk with?" I demanded, ignoring him. If it was one thing I'd learned through my hundred and four years with them was that Nicole was the alpha. Not Oliver.

"Big Don." She shrieked, sobbing in pain. It only gave me slight satisfaction.

"Original mob name." Emmett muttered sarcastically, and even I had to say that it was a bad name.

"That's all we know, I swear!" Nicole screamed, struggling harder then before. Fine with me, because that was really all the information we needed.

"Okay." I said, and flung them as hard as I could into the woods. They were still flying when I turned around, dropping Emmett to the ground without looking up.

"Thanks." He mumbled, dusting off his pants and sending me a glare. I got into the car and started up the engine. Emmett jumped into the car quickly, slamming the door after him. I had a feeling that I'd have to buy a new car when this trip was over.

But I couldn't worry about that now. The only thing on my mind now was getting to New York as fast as possible.

* * *

**I'm getting pretty good at updating if I do say so myself. **

**Review anyone? :) **

**(No flames.)**


	16. Chapter 16

-- Edward -- 

I'd been to New York City once before, with Elizabeth. But I was sitting in the car the whole time. I remember Elizabeth coming out of a huge building, crying and cursing my name. I didn't understand what I'd done wrong, but that wasn't new. She never needed a reason to be mad at me.

The place was huge. With crowds to hide in and be invisible. I'd never felt safer. Except for the Cullen's house.

I'd parked the car, walking down one of New York's streets with that damn stone in my pocket. Nobody looked at me, I noticed. Actually, come to think of it, nobody looked at anyone. They just kept to themselves. It was like my own personal heaven.

"Hey, hey!" A voice yelled from somewhere. I slowed down and looked around. Everyone just continued walking around me.

"Down here!" I looked down, only to see a man with no legs and an abnormally small head looking up at me. He smiled up at me with yellow teeth. I smiled back down at him hesitantly.

"Hey, you! I was wondering if you got some money for some food? You know, help a starving man?" He asked, holding out a gloved hand with the fingers cut off. He had dirty fingernails with nicotine stains on them to the fingertips, and he was just basically covered in filth.

He was sitting in a small cart, pushing himself forward with his hands. He looked Italian, and he had a New Jersey accent.

"Sure." I replied in a low voice, pulling out a 20 and slipping it into his hand. I gave him a tight smile before I started walking again.

"Wait!" He yelled, and I could hear that one of his wheals were broken. I stopped and turned, waiting for him to say something.

"Where you going, kid? I'm good company, and I can show you around town, ya know?" He asked, wheeling up beside me.

"No thanks." I replied politely, and started walking again. It wasn't long until I heard the sound of the broken wheel once again.

"Come on, man, don't be like that. The name's Boots. Yeah, I know, laugh all you want, the irony haven't escaped my sharp notice. Boots can take a joke too." He said, and I glanced down at him while I walked, not even giving him a small smile.

Was it normal for New York bums to follow after new comers?

"Boots can tell if someone is new to the Big Apple or not, you see. Don't go all silent on Boots now, he can help you get around, hook up with some fine lady's, get you a little _somethin_ _somethin_," He laughed a rasping laugh you only get from years of smoking.

I looked at some of the beautiful women I walked past, some being models, and felt nothing. They were like looking at men compared to Bella.

"Funny. I'm fine, but thanks for the offer. Goodbye." I said, a little tightly. I picked up my pace, feeling slightly bad for running away from a crippled person. But only slightly.

"Oh, you going to leave your new friend on the cold streets of New York, is that it? Do you think I can live for 20 fucking bucks?! I'm a cripple!" He yelled after me, and I actually felt guilty. I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose hard, and turned around and walked back.

"What do you want from me?" I asked him, looking down at him. He looked down, and then up again, his huge brown eyes almost sparkling.

"You see, my best friend just died a few weeks ago, and Boots has been pretty lonely after his friend left him. Boots just wants to, to have another friend. Boots aint bad cuz of that, is he?" He asked, sounding like a five year old boy, even though he looked to be around 30 years old.

I didn't know what kind of diagnose this guy had, but I knew that he wasn't mentally stable. He was mentally handicapped, that much I was sure of.

I couldn't just leave him on the street. It was like leaving a small child all alone in New York City at night. A very, _very_ ugly child, but like a kid none the less.

I sighed, bowing my head before lifting it back up. I hunched down on my knees until I could look him in the eyes.

"No, that's not bad Boots. I'm… Anthony. Anthony Thorn." I answered, coming up with the first name that popped into my mind.

Boots eyes widened slightly, and he slapped my outstretched hand quickly.

"Shit man, really? I thought you looked like him. Wow. If only my friend was here to see the day Boots made friends with none other than Mr. Thorn himself. It's nice to meet you sir, truly an honor!" He said, pulling his hat off, revealing a mop of black, curly unwashed hair.

"I don't know who your talking about, but, I'm not that Anthony Thorn. I just came to New York today, for the first time ever." I said, making him squint at me. I was sort of surprised that no one had stopped yet. I guess nothing was weird in New York.

His eyes hardened slightly, and he nodded seriously.

"Yes, yes, your right. The Anthony Thorn I know about is much, much older then the Anthony Thorn I'm talking to now. Yes, Boots can tell. But you look like each other." He said, still squinting at me. I tried not to smile at the way he was talking.

"Out of curiosity, who is this other Anthony Thorn your talking about?" I asked, having a bad feeling about this. Adding that on the weight on my chest the stone had, I felt like crap.

"He's the big head." He said, as if it explained everything.

"Excuse me?" I asked, trying to get him to elaborate.

"Your excused." He said, sniffing.

"Now come on, Anthony and Boots can't just stand on the streets like this in the Big Apple. Come on, come on. I'll show you his head." He said, grabbing the ground and rolling around me.

I had nothing better to do, so I straightened up and hurried after him. He was surprisingly fast to have a broken wheel and only using his too long arms.

We came to one of New York's nastier neighborhoods. Gangs were sitting outside, staring at us with cold, feeling less eyes, following our every move. Garbage littered the streets, and windows were shut with planks.

"Uh, Boots, I don't think we should be here." I said, walking beside him. He stopped talking to himself about the rainbow man.

"But Boots get free food here. Boots can get you some free food too, Anthony. And I'll show you the big head." He said with a big smile. I nodded and continued walking, and he continued to talk about lamp shades, which apparently had something to do with the rainbow man.

We stopped outside of a building with a small statue on the brown lawn that was covered in garbage.

"Come on! Right this way, right this way!" He said enthusiastically, his ugly little form shooting across the brown lawn.

I shrugged and followed after him. I wondered in the back of my mind why I ever agreed to come to a shady neighborhood like this when I was hiding from hit-men, but something inside me just couldn't seem to care. I heard the warning bells, but my mind was just ignoring it. Funny how I could think about it and still move towards the ugly little crippled person.

The statue was made out of cheap metal, and it didn't have a lot of detail, but there was no denying the resemblance.

It looked like me, all the way down to the glasses, but like Boots pointed out earlier, older. We shared the same unruly hair, even.

"Who is this guy?" I whispered, staring at the statue with huge eyes.

"Anthony Thorn. He used all his money on this shelter for poor people. Everybody loved him." Boots said, looking up at the statue with awe and pride.

"Boots never met him, no, Boots didn't live here when Anthony Thorn was alive, Boots lived in New Jersey then, see. But Anthony Thorn was a great man. Very nice. Boots old friend said so." He said, almost talking more to himself then to me.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the statues face. There was no name, or explanation for who this person was, just his face in the middle of New York's shady streets.

"What happened?" I asked, almost scared of the answer. This man was obviously related to me, and he was too old to be my Brother, because he looked almost older then my mother. Maybe an Uncle, perhaps?

He couldn't be my father. I refused to believe that until I was proven wrong. Henry, unfortunately, was my father, or sperm donor, as I liked to call him.

This dead man just couldn't be my father. It was impossible. A nice man would never fall in love with my mother, or let her take custody of me.

"Someone found him dead inside this very shelter. He was beaten up pretty badly, and someone had slid his throat. If Boots had been there he would have kicked their asses…" He said with his raspy voice, pounding his fists together.

"I have to get back to my car… Boots, can you show me the way back to where we met?" I asked him hurriedly.

"But don't you want some free food?" He asked, gesturing towards the shelter. I shook my head and started walking the other way, and it wasn't long before his wheel started following me.

"What does Anthony need at his car?" He asked, trying to keep up with me. I was probably just my imagination, but I could have sworn his arms grew about three inches. I shook my head and drew a tired hand over my face, shaking my head.

I needed that file. It was time to open it. I'd been putting it off long enough, and it was time to stop being such a coward and just face whatever this thing was. Human ignorance might be bliss, but I was used to not living a blissful life, I thought bitterly.

We walked past a gang of gangsters, who all looked at us threateningly. Boots kept talking as if they weren't about to just stomp on him as they walked past us. They didn't say anything, but their body language was more then enough.

It wasn't long before we were out on the streets again, Boots rolling faithfully at my side, talking none stop about a dirty old hat he found on the subway once.

My car was parked on the side of a busy street, and I jumped into the front seat, knowing the gun down and under the passenger seat so Boots wouldn't see it.

"This sure is a nice car you've got, Boots haven't seen the inside of such a nice car ever." He said with a low whistle. I nodded absently, ignoring the little leg less man that leaned into the car.

"There." I said to myself, finding the file. I opened it quickly, figuring that it would be like a band aid.

There was a baby picture of me inside, and a picture of a Edward Anthony Thorn, the same man who's statue I'd just seen.

We were very much alike, at least in the face, but he was a short man, so I suppose I got my height from Elizabeth.

There was a address for the street we'd just walked down, and another one for an apartment some where in the finer parts of New York.

"How…" I whispered to myself, seeing my real birth certificate, and the fake one. The fake one being with Henry Masen's name. How the hell did that happen? Who was this Henry Masen then, if he wasn't my father? And why had I lived with him for the past month?!

"Boots don't know how, but then again, Boots doesn't know what Anthony is looking at ether." He hinted, looking up at me questioningly. I shook my head, not trusting him in that way. The only reason I even let him follow me around was because I pitied him, but that didn't mean I was about to pour my guts out to him.

"Boots… I, I think I need to be alone for a while…" I said slowly, my eyes not leaving the file. There was too much information. I needed to get to this other address. I needed to find out everything about this Edward Anthony Thorn. My dad.

I was like a starved man, only instead of food, I craved information. Who was this man? Did he really love me? How come I never grew up with him?

"What? Man, why? Is it Boots? Come on, Boots promised you some food, didn't he?" He said, getting agitated with me. I looked up and saw his face getting angry. There was something off about him, besides his obvious mental handicap.

"Why are you getting so worked up? I just need some time alone. Besides, I don't need a free meal yet. I still have some money. Look, I'll come back tomorrow, and I'll see you then. I swear. Okay?" I asked him, and his angry eyes softened somewhat.

"Boots doesn't believe that you'll come back." He said, squinting at me. I chuckled and ran a tired hand through my hair. I gagged at the strong smell of sweat that was coming from my armpit. Lets just say that showering hadn't been on the top of my priority list.

Boots noticed, but didn't say anything. He's eyes almost looked too intelligent for someone like him.

"Let me tell you something Boots. I've never had a lot of friends. Ever. I got a few friends a while ago, but then I had to move and I lost them. For good. I promise you, I _will_ meet you tomorrow, at the same place around five. You're my first friend here, Boots. I'm not leaving you." I promised him sincerely.

He nodded his head and opened the door, jumping into his cart from the street. He turned around and gave me a yellow toothed grin.

"We will see each other soon, _Edward_." He said in almost a normal voice. I felt my eyes widen as he turned around with an evil grin on his mouth.

I really needed to stop being so naïve.

I could have run after him, but I didn't think it was important at the moment. What could a leg less man do to me anyway. Although there was something wrong with the way he acted.

I started up the car and drove to the address, my head full of questions.

I walked up to the doorman, an old man with white hair and a slightly hooked back.

"Excuse me sir, but I was wondering if you knew anything about a Edward Anthony Thorn?" I asked, not really knowing if this was an office building or an apartment building.

"Anthony? Yes, he was a close friend of mine. Knew him well I did. He was a nice man, a shame what happened to him." He said, shaking his head and opening the door for an elderly woman absently.

"Do you know if he had any children?" I asked, holding my breath for his answer.

"He talked about a son, once. Edward I think his name was. They never talked to each other as far as I know. Something about his mother. I don't know all the details, son." This guy was a gossiper, much to my luck.

He was one of those old men who were just happy to have someone to talk to, those I always felt bad for when I was little. Elizabeth always forbid me to talk to them though.

"Did he live here?" I asked him.

"Yes, lived here for seventeen years he did. Moved here from Chicago. Used to be a lawyer, but he started opening shelters for poor people when he got here. A fine man." He said again, blowing his nose noisily.

"But was he nice, his personality I mean?" I asked, desperate for the smallest bits of information.

"I suppose. He was strict, very strict. He demanded respect with his very presents. He was loyal too, and a good friend. But, like all great men he had his enemies. And I think that's why he was killed. Too soon, if you ask me." He said, shaking his head gravely. Sounded like a man who would have fallen for Elizabeth.

How come all the parental figures in my life turned out to be assholes?

"What's your name, son?" The old man asked, trying to fill the silence.

"Emmett, Emmett Swan." I said, giving him a tight smile. He smiled back at me and held out a shaking hand. I shook it tightly, silently thanking him for all the information.

"Nice to meet you. The name's Herb Johnson, but everybody calls me Herb." He said, squinting up at me.

"Herb, do you know who lives there now?" I asked him, trying to be as polite as possible.

Herb scratched his nose, and looked up at the darkening sky.

"Yes, newlyweds I do believe. Nice couple too. A wee bit young, but I'm just the doorman and in no position to judge." He said with a dry laugh, opening the door for a couple.

"Now why do you want to know about Anthony, boy?" He said, for the first time giving the slightest sign of distrust. I shrugged, and handed him a baby picture of me.

"I knew his son, Edward. He died too, back in Chicago." I said quietly. I'd never been a good liar, but it looked like this old man was buying it all.

His bushy eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he grabbed the baby picture. I wasn't smiling in the picture, and I had a slight sign of a bruise above my left eye. I couldn't be more then two years old, and my mom was beating me already.

"Oh, no…pity, pity. Poor mother, she must be crushed. I'm sorry for your loss, Emmett, truly, I am." He said, shaking his head and staring sadly at the picture, as if he'd known the little boy himself.

I almost snorted. Elizabeth would only be angry at me for making her spend money on my grave. That was probably the only emotion I'd get out of her.

"She passed away too, only a few months ago. Tell me, do you know if Anthony was ever interested in getting to know his son? At all?"

"I don't think so, kid. Anthony might have been a great man, and he cared about the homeless people here in New York, but…He wasn't a family man, and I don't think he was ever interested in getting a family ether." Herb said with a shrug, handing me the picture back.

So my father didn't want me, my mother resented me for it, and the guy I'd always thought was my father was trying to kill me. Maybe I'd been Hitler in my past life or something, because a normal person couldn't deserve this. It just wasn't fair.

"Well thank you, Herb. You have no idea how much this helps. I'm sure his son thanks you from the bottom of his heart, wherever his soul may rest in peace." I said, shaking his hand again.

Herb nodded and smiled, and seemed happy to just talk to someone. I slipped him a few dollars, and walked back to my car.

I needed some place to sleep, and I'd heard that Little Italy had some nice Hotels.

The little emerald stone grew slightly warmer, but I didn't think much about it. It had been acting strange ever since I got to New York. Well, weird for a glowing stone anyway. Whatever that meant.

I was too tired to think about anything at all, and all I wanted now was a hot meal, a hot shower, and a nice warm and cozy bed. I'd figure everything out the next day.

* * *

**_IMPORTANT!!!! _**

**Some of you have misunderstood me. When I'm talking about Shape- shifters, I mean creatures that actually Change Shape into whatever they want to be. I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT THE WEARFOLFS!!!!**

**Thankz for taking your time reading, please leave a Review, they make my Boring day worth going through :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Um, okay so I'm probably not your favorite person at the moment, which is understandable, but I actually do have a good reason for not updating on this story. For those of you who are reading my _NEW_ story "Psychedelic Life" (Which you should check out, because it is THE best story I've ever written) you'll probably wonder how I can update on that and not on this! Well the reason is that I've already written those chapters so it was just posting it, and as you all know that only takes five seconds to do. **

**So the reason is that someone very close to me just died. I don't really feel like talking about it, so I won't, but I feel like all of you deserve a good reason as to why I haven't updated. **

**So...Happy reading I guess**! _(Oh, and check out **Psychedelic Life** because it is cool for those who like tattoo's and rebell Bella ;D)_

* * *

-- Bella --

"Emmett, let's just ask that old man for directions instead of walking around like two chickens with their heads cut off! We don't have the time for this!" I said frustrated, throwing my hands in the air to empathize my point.

He stopped short and turned around quickly, wagging a finger in my face.

"I know where we're going!" He insisted. I rolled my eyes and sighed, ignoring a few sleaze balls that whistled at me and cat called.

The sun had been up all day, and finally, at night time, we could start searching for Little Italy.

To put it like this, New York was no place for women to be out and about at night. The streets were full of rapists and pedophiles. I'd be scared shitless if I was human.

"Then how come we've been walking around like idiots for the past ten minutes?" I asked dryly. Emmett stopped and scanned the signs, before he started walking again.

People gave us a wide berth, their minds telling them subconsciously that we were dangerous. One man even walked out into the street to avoid us, making a taxi driver honk and yell at him.

"I know where it is, I just don't know where we are at the moment… We don't need to ask anyone for help." He said with finality, ending the discussion. I rushed forward, for a human anyway, and grabbed his upper arm, my hand not even circling around it half way.

We'd measured it once, and his upper arms were the same size as my thigh, and bigger then Alice's.

"We don't have time for this Emmett. For all we know, Edward could be dead by now. I just don't want to risk it. We've wasted enough time as it is. Lets just ask someone already. You can be macho some other time." I snapped, looking around for someone who didn't look like a tourist or completely crazy.

"Fine, have it your way then." Emmett muttered, slightly offended that I didn't trust his directions.

Ignoring my pouting brother, I scanned the streets again, only finding tourists.

"How is it possible not to find one single New Yorker in New York?!" I asked loudly, scaring a few people away from me. Not that I cared about what other people thought of me. I'd stopped caring about that for over two hundred years ago.

"I think I might be able to help you, _my friends_." A creepy voice said, and if it hadn't been for the fact that I was a vampire and could hear for miles and miles away without any problems, I wouldn't have heard it at all.

I sheared a quick glance with Emmett, who'd also heard it, and we walked into a dark alley that most people shied away from, just like they shied away from us. Walking in there seemed foolish, even for us, seeing as this wasn't a person, but a creature.

"Where are you?" I asked quietly, looking around in the dark. It wasn't a problem for ether of us of course, because of our perfect vision.

"I'm right here." The creepy voice answered, and a small, well, _thing, _rolled out behind a dumpster in a little cart.

"So, vampires aye? Haven't seen any of you for quite a while now." The creature thing said, making both me and Emmett tense up at the same time.

"You said you could help us?" I asked quickly, cutting out all the other crap. I just wanted, no _needed_, to find Edward as soon as possible. And if this little man/thing had information about him, I wasn't about to stand around and talk about the weather.

"Yes, I've been following you for quite a while now, and I heard you talking about Little Italy earlier this morning, and, oh, what was that name again? Edward, was it?" He said, tapping his abnormally small chin. Actually, his whole head was abnormally small.

"Are you one of the shape shifters?" Emmett asked him quietly, and I could see him flexing his muscles out of the corner of my eye. I would have laughed at him if it were under any different circumstances. But even I couldn't deny the fact that he looked scary.

The creature thing smiled an evil looking smile, and his head started growing, along with his legs and hands. It was actually a really disgusting thing to watch, and listen to.

I could hear every single bone in his body growing, breaking and fixing themselves again. All of his inner organs made squishy sounds and rearranged themselves too. The whole transformation only took about half a minute, but it was disturbing none the less.

"The name is Boots, and I work under Big Don. And something tells me you have something very interesting to talk about." He said with the same sly smile on his now extremely handsome face.

He was about the same height as Jasper, with sparkling white teeth and a heartbreakingly handsome face. It was disturbingly different from the ugly little guy who looked like a retard and sat in a cart only seconds ago.

"How do we know this isn't some sort of trap?" Emmett asked in a quiet voice, making Boots eyes widen innocently. _Too _innocently.

"Why would it be a trap? We are all friends here, aren't we?" He asked slyly. I breathed out hard through my nose, staring at the man in front of me with hard eyes. He was still wearing the clothes the old Boots wore.

"Is Edward okay?" I blurted out, ignoring my mind when it screamed at me to just shut up and play it all cool. I didn't want to show weakness, and I didn't want them to feel like they had the upper hand.

"You mean my dear friend Anthony? Oh he is fine. _For now_." Boots said, whispering the last part to himself as if Emmett and I wouldn't hear him.

It was as if a huge weight was lifted of my chest that I hadn't even realized was there, and I could feel a huge amount of stress leaving my body. I was still tense though, and I would probably stay that way until I was in Edwards arms again.

"Can you take us to Big Don?" Emmett asked before I could open my mouth again, shooting me a warning glare that practically yelled at me to keep my trap shut.

"Of course I can. Follow me, my friends." He said in a low, seductive tone.

Boots walked past us, out of the ally and onto the street where the longest limousine I'd ever seen came out of nowhere down the streets, as if the driver knew exactly when Boots would need him to be there.

The driver came out, hurried down towards us and opened the door for us to get in. This man was huge, almost bigger then Emmett, and I could see the two of them sizing each other up.

I bumped my elbow into Emmett's stomach, hard, making him get into the car with me.

"This is comfortable, isn't it? Do you mind?" Boots asked, holding up a glass of scotch. We both shook our heads, both of us tense from the amount of body guards that were in the car with us.

No matter how much I used my powers, and Emmett used his strength against these guys, we would lose, and we would die. There was no doubt in my mind about that.

Each and every one of them, except for Boots that is, were huge. Some of them were even bigger then Emmett. They were all wearing Armani suits, and had sunglasses on, hiding their eyes from us.

I didn't allow myself to even blink.

"Don't look so tense, my friends. Now, why don't you tell me your names? I told you mine, after all." He said innocently, taking a healthy sip from his scotch. He looked so thin, and little compared to all the other guys in the car, and yet, he seemed to be the one in command.

"My name is Bella, and this is my brother Emmett." I answered him, still keeping my eyes on all the bodyguards.

"Ah, an Italian name! Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He commented, and I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes_. Well isn't that the oldest pick up line in the world_, I thought to myself.

I didn't answer him.

"Now how do you know Edward, my dear?" Boots asked me, ignoring Emmett as if he was _my _bodyguard.

I glanced quickly at Emmett and then squared my shoulders and jutting out my chin slightly.

"He's my mate." I said, knowing how ridicules something like that sounded to a creature. Of course Edward wasn't my mate. That was just wistful thinking on my part, but it was easier to put it like that then explaining the whole thing about how I loved him and all that.

A few of the guards coughed to hide their laughter, and Boots gave a wide smile.

"Hmm, that is interesting. I would have expected that he was your pet, and that he'd run away from you or something of the sort. But your mate? Hmm, well in all my years… Well, someone has to be the first, I suppose." He said, sighting wistfully.

"Well, here we are. Ladies first, no?" Boots asked, motioning for me to get out of the car before all of them. I scanned the outside of the open door and couldn't hear anyone being out there, so it took me under half a second to jump out of the limo before any of them could react.

"No need to be so jittery, my dear, we aren't here to harm you. Just, _relax_." Boots said, getting out of the limo slowly after me. I didn't trust him more then I could throw the statue of liberty. Which I probably couldn't even pick up.

I could feel Emmett glide out behind me, and I discreetly grabbed his huge hand, squeezing it tightly. I would never admit this to anyone other then him, but I was nerves as hell at the moment.

For the first time in my after life, well, after my happy years with Oliver anyway, I cared about weather I died or not. I wanted to live now, and spend every waking moment with Edward.

Besides, if Emmett and I died now, then no one would be able to save Edwards life.

We were in a dark ally in Little Italy, hidden away from the streets. Boots led the way to a door at the top of some stairs, and walked in without knocking.

"They are with me." Boots said when we walked into a huge hallway. I wouldn't have expected this huge hall, or house for that matter, from the dirty old building that it was on the outside.

Boots were talking to the most adorable little boy, who couldn't be older then seven. He looked Italian too, and was staring up at Boots with angry eyes and nodded once, before stepping away from the door and letting us walk past him.

I grew a small forget me not and handed it over to the boy discreetly with a small smile on my lips. The boy glanced down at it and then up at me again with the same hard, emotionless eyes that did not fit his body at all.

I gave a small sigh and followed Emmett as he tugged on my hand with impatience. It was better to not let these people, or creatures I guess, wait. I was no expert on shape shifters. I only knew that there were two kinds of them.

I knew about the werewolves that descended from the native Americans, and then there were these guys. Nobody really knew where they came from, and nobody really knew what they looked like originally ether.

Some myths said that they were just blobs when they were born, some said that it was possible to be changed into one as a human and others just knew about those who could turn themselves into wolves.

It could get confusing.

"Wait here for a minute, please?" Boots said, excusing himself and walking into a dimly lit room that smelled like cigars and whisky, and closing the door behind himself quickly.

"Do you think they have Edward?" I whispered quietly and too fast for anyone else to hear me. Emmett squeezed my hand again, and I'd almost forgotten that I was holding his hand at all.

"I don't know. We'll find out now I guess." Emmett muttered back to me, looking around the dark hall we were standing in. There was antic furniture throughout the whole house, with blood red carpets and mahogany colors all around.

"You can come in now," We heard Boots voice echo from the room, and we looked at each other quickly before walking into the room, gripping Emmett harder then ever.

There was a big man sitting behind a huge mahogany desk, the same shade as my hair, actually. There was quiet music playing in the back, and the walls were covered with expensive pictures and bookshelves covered to the brim with old books.

This man too, was gorgeous, just like the rest of them. Not that I could blame him of course, or any of them for that matter. If I could change my appearance at will, I would have also made myself look my best.

"So this is the famous Bella?" He asked in a raspy old mans voice, ironically smoking a cigar. What was it with these people and looking like the mob? It was sort of silly, pretending like this. Maybe this Big Don was a huge Sopranos fan, and made the rest of them play this stupid pretend game with him. I didn't know, and I certainly didn't care at the moment ether.

"And you must be Big Don. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." I said, bowing my head slightly in respect. Emmett let go of my hand and crossed his arms over his chest, taking a protective stance beside me.

I also think he was slightly offended at being ignored.

"Now, why are the two of you here in my humble home?" He asked, staring up at us with green eyes. They almost looked like Edwards, only his were greener, and much more tempting. I knew that he knew why we were here though, this was all for show.

"We've come to ask you to spare Edward Masen's life. Someone gave him your stone, but the thing is-"

"I know he's got my stone. Boots here won't let any of us touch him yet though." Big Don interrupted me rudely, but with enough authority in his voice to know that he was like this. I flexed my fingers in annoyance, but didn't say anything. I wanted to stay on their good side.

"Why?" Emmett asked, shocking both Big Don and Boots. They looked over at me, as if silently asking if I would allow my bodyguard to talk for me. I shrugged silently, and I could tell that they thought less of me for it. But like me, they didn't say anything.

"He's a nice kid, and he isn't even using the stone at all." Boots said, looking at his nails.

"But, why can't you just take the stone and let him be?" I asked, not really seeing the problem.

Big Don sighed heavily and took a long drag from his cigar before he answered me.

"The stone is an ancient thing, made by the first Shape shifters who ever walked the planet. It was made for the leader, who would use it to attract humans towards himself, or herself for different…_personal _reasons.

Vampires found out about it and stole it, killing one of our leaders and the owner of the stone. Since then, there's been a curse on the stone, if you will. Someone has to give it to you willingly, in order for it to be passed on to the next person, or creature." Big Don took a deep breath, staring at an old painting of a beautiful woman.

"No disrespect, sir, but how is that a curse?" I asked him, confused.

"Well, the curse is really for the owner of the stone now. Edward could want to give us the stone, but it would only end up back in his hands again because the stone recognizes him as the true owner of it now.

"The only way for us to get the stone back from him is to hunt him down and kill him. Seeing as the hunted down part is pretty much done, you can see what we have to do." He said, throwing his cigar away and lighting up a new one.

"What if I get him to give it to me. Can you kill me instead?" I asked at once, shocking all of them.

"Bella you can't possibly mean that!" Emmett boomed, staring at me as if I'd just told everyone in the room that I was born with a penis.

"Emmett, I've lived long enough, Edward has his whole life ahead of him." I told him, patting his arm and looking over at Big Don. He nodded his head and shrugged.

"I don't really care if we kill the kid or you, to be honest. It's my son, Boots over here who's been stopping the whole thing all along. He won't let anyone touch the kid." Boots smiled at us charmingly, clasping his hands behind his back.

"But, can't he give it to someone else? It doesn't have to be you Bella, we just need to find someone who can die instead of Edward." Emmett said desperately, looking from me to Big Don.

"As if we could ever get Edward to kill someone willingly. If he knew that giving the stone to someone would mean that they would die, he would rather get himself killed instead." I argued back.

"Is there a way to get him to give someone the stone without him knowing that that person is going to get killed?" Emmett asked, scratching the back of his neck, his face serious.

"No, he has to be aware of what he does and what he is giving up." Big Don answered, leaning back in his huge leather chair and putting both his feet up on the table.

"At least killing you is out of the question. But how can we tell him when he is invisible to us? How the hell are we going to find him and tell him what he has to do?" Emmett said, letting a gust of wind out of his lungs. I could practically see the panic disappearing from his face.

"I could tell him." Boots offered quietly from his place in the back of the study.

"Why are you helping us? Wouldn't it be easier for all of you to just kill him and get all of this over with. I mean, your stone has been gone for a pretty damn long time." Emmett asked a little loudly.

I pinched his side, glaring up at him angrily.

"Do you want Edward to die or something?!" I hissed at him. I would so kick his ass when this was over.

"I'm helping Edward, or Anthony as he goes by now, because he is one of the nicest humans I've ever met. The only side he's seen of me is the retarded little guy who sits in a cart, and who's homeless and pretty annoying if I do say so myself. He's given me money, food, a blanket and everything else I've asked of him. He is truly kind, and I like that about him. So if I can save his life I'd like to help him. Besides, I don't want to see you die ether, my dear. Such beauty shouldn't be wasted." He said, sending me a wink.

If I could gag, I would have probably had vomit in my mouth by now. Even Big Don rolled his eyes at his own son.

"We could get him to kill Henry." I muttered quietly, looking up at Emmett with a small smile. The man was going to get killed by me anyway, why not let Edward do it instead?

"That might actually work…" Emmett muttered, a mischievous smile lighting up his handsome face.

"Who is this Henry guy?" Boots asked politely.

"Edwards father. A real son of a bitch. He's been torturing Edward for a long time now. Only problem is that he's got a lot of people looking for Edward, trying to bring him back-" Emmett started but I cut him of before he could tell Edwards whole life story for him. Edward was a private person, and I knew that he would be upset if his history was revealed like this.

"Look, we'll book plain tickets for us to get back to Washington state as soon as possible, for us, Edward and we'll even pay tickets for those of you who are bringing the stone back with you and killing Henry. Don't tell Edward what he's got to do before you're in Washington, or else he probably won't go along with it.

"If he starts to refuse after you tell him to give the stone to Henry, just tell him that you'll…that you'll kill me. It's probably the only way to get him to do it." I said, hating myself for telling them to lie to him. But if lying was the only way to get him to go along with things then I wasn't about to tell the truth.

"How do we know that you won't take the stone and use it for yourself as soon as my shape shifters are in Washington?" Big Don asked in a hard voice, making my head snap up quickly. His eyes were blue now.

"I'm a vegetarian vampire, and so is the rest of my family. I have as much use for humans as a fish does. All I want is for Edward to be safe, and happy. Please, just kill Henry instead of Edward. You said it yourself, it the same to you weather you kill me or Edward. What's the difference between killing Edward or his father?" I asked him, or more like pleaded. I would get down on my hands and knees and kiss his feet if it meant that Edward would live and stay safe.

"The difference, is that in ten minutes, I could have the stone in my hands, or I could wait a few days and get it back then." He said, taking another deep breath of his cigar. I hoped he got mouth cancer.

"But you've waited so long already! A few days shouldn't mean anything. You'll get the stone, and if you don't, you can kill me." I said, balling my pale hands into fists, making small half moons into the palm of my marble like skin.

"Why should killing you give me any type of satisfaction?" He asked, staring at me with a condescending look on his face. Suddenly, he had a few gray streaks in his black hair, making him look older, but still handsome.

I could tell, however, that it would give him some satisfaction.

"Father, perhaps we should follow the vampire lady's plan? I wouldn't mind going with them to Washington and… _fixing _the problem. And it would be an honor for me to give you the stone personally." Boots said, surprising both Emmett and I yet again.

"Hmm, it would give you the opportunity to prove yourself to our people. Fine. I give you two days, starting when your plain lands in Washington. I want you to call me with regular updates, and I want you to be back as soon as this Henry person is killed and the stone is in your pocket. Understood?" Big Don asked his son sternly, coughing slightly.

Boots smiled at him with the same charming and creepy smile he'd used at me earlier and bowed his head towards his father.

"Of course, Big Don, of course." He said innocently.

"And if the stone isn't back within those two days, both of you will die, along with this Edward character. The same goes for you, Boots." Big Don said, narrowing his eyes at Boots. I saw his smile tighten slightly, but he nodded none the less.

"Could you please leave Emmett out of this?" I asked hopefully.

"He is here out of free will, isn't he?" Big Don asked me.

"Um, yes?"

"Then no." He answered me, not even bothering to look up.

"Your dismissed." Big Don said, waving us out of the office when we just stood there. I glanced over at Emmett and we hurried out of there quickly, walking past the adorable kid who's hair was now green, and out onto the street.

"How can he want to kill you too? You're his own son!" I said, sensing that Boot's had followed us quietly and staring at us.

"That's the way of the shape shifters. The strongest survive. You fail, you die. Simple as that." He said with a shrug.

"Now, why don't we drive back to your hotel, book the tickets and then I'll go and get Edward and meet you at the airport?" Boots suggested, still in his homeless persons outfit. I wondered why he wore it and made himself look so disgusting and ugly when he was so handsome now.

"Okay, sounds good to me." Emmett said with a shrug, getting into the limo without a second thought. I followed after him quickly, and Boots jumped in next, getting one of the bodyguards to close the door for him.

"I want to come with you, to get Edward." I said, staring at Boots and trying to will him into doing what I said.

He chuckled and shook his head, pouring himself a glass of Brandy. You'd think he was some kind of alcoholic the way he drank.

"Oh my dear, you can't see, smell nor hear your precious Edward. Besides, _he_ will see _you_ at the airport." Boots said, handing the bottle back to one of the bodyguards who took it wordlessly.

"So he can see us then?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes."

"Where is he anyway? Is he living on the streets?" I asked him, wanting to know everything now.

"He lives in a small apartment. It's pretty crappy, but better than most people. And my family gave him a job on the fish market." He said, looking at me with intense brown eyes. Oliver told me that I used to have brown eyes when I was human…

"Ha! The last thing I would expect him to do was work at the fish market." Emmett said, snickering loudly.

I didn't really care what he did. The only thing I focused on now was ending all of this once and for all.

And finally, Henry would _die_.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so nothing really happened in this chapter, but it was important anyway. I'll try not to take so long next time. **

**And remember, **

** READ "Psychedelic Life"!!!!**

**No flames please! :D**

**-Love STS-**

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

**AN - Hello everyone! I hope that wasn't too long. I've been writing all day on this thing. I've finally gotten some free time on my hands. This summer has been crazy. But enough about that, Read and Enjoy! **

* * *

-- Edward --

I fell down on my small, squeaky bed, letting my head bounce of my small beat up pillow. If you can call a few bird feathers stuffed into a pillowcase a pillow.

I had never, in my entire life felt this tired before. Not even Henrys work out sessions could compare to this. I couldn't feel my own arms, my feet were wet and icy cold, and I practically reeked of fish guts and salt water.

On the bright side though, I'd gotten bigger muscles in these two weeks then all my time with Henry.

My job was to lift big open boxes of fish up on the dock, which usually took about an hour of bending down, lifting them high above my head and throwing them into an even bigger box. After that, I had to put the bait onto the fishing boats.

Some of the older guys there thought it would be 'fun' to empty a whole box of fish guts over my head today. It would take me forever to get the stench to go away.

I dragged a tired hand through my light brown/bronze hair. As soon as I'd gotten my apartment, I'd blended the hair colors and dyed my hair the best I could. I'd never done it before, and I think it showed. Most of my hair was still bronze, and after a few showers, I only had a few streaks of brown left.

Thank god I wore a green wool hat to work every day.

I dragged myself of my mattress and stood up slowly. Every part of my body was hurting, and begging for a shower. I took of all my clothes on the way into my tiny bathroom. It was better then nothing though. I had a toilet, a shower, a sink and a mirror. It was more then most people in New York had, and I knew that I should be thankful.

As soon as I stepped into the shower, the freaky stone appeared on the floor. I'd gotten used to it by now, even though I was still weary of it. I mean, what kind of stone just appears out of nowhere wherever you go?

I'd tried to flush it down the toilet, I'd thrown it out of my window, I'd thrown it into the water, I'd sent it off with the boats more times then I cared to remember and I'd tried to dig it down in the middle of central park. It Always came back to me. Always.

By now I'd stopped trying to question it and just excepted the fact that it would never go away. It wasn't like it was hurting me or anything like that.

I let the steaming hot water run down my back and work out most of the tension from my shoulders. It was pretty late at night, and I'd gotten up at four in the morning, I started working at five, and I stopped at nine PM. To say that I was tired was putting it lightly.

I washed my hair the best I could, trying to get the smell out of my hair and off my body to the best of my ability. I knew that I'd have to wash my jacket, and my work pants and everything else I'd been wearing today too before I could go to bed. And with a groan I remembered that I'd laid down in my bed with my work clothes on, so now I'd have to wash that too.

I felt like crying just thinking about it.

I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist, letting out a huge yawn while I stretched my arms high above my head. It felt amazing.

The gashes on my back were almost fully healed, but I would have a permanent scar there, along with the wound on my face. It wouldn't be pretty, but hopefully, It would disappear with the years.

To be honest, you couldn't really see it unless you looked closely. Carlisle had done a great job on all of my wounds. I'd started growing a beard, so it was hiding some of it.

There was a knock on my door, and I closed my eyes briefly before opening them with a small sigh. I only had one friend in New York, and that was Boots.

It wasn't that I didn't like Boots. He was nice enough, and he showed me where to go, where not to go, he got me the job at the Fish marked, and he wasn't annoying. I was just really tired at the moment. But, seeing as I had to wash all my stuff anyway, I might as well have some company to help keep me awake.

"Hello Boots." I said quietly, opening the door and letting him roll into my small apartment. I'd asked if he wanted to live with me plenty of times, but he always refused, claiming that the streets were his home.

"Boots sees that Anthony has taken a shower, good thing too, Boots saw what happened at work today. He didn't like it. Not one bit." He said, rolling into my living room/bedroom/Kitchen aria. I only had my bed, a chair, a stove and a mini fridge. The only sink in my whole apartment was the one in the bathroom.

"You were at the marked today? Why didn't you come over and say hi?" I called from the bathroom while putting on some boxers and a pair of pajama pants. I decided not to wear a shirt, seeing as my apartment was stifling hot. Besides, I sort of liked my new muscles.

"Boots didn't want to bother you when you were working. Besides, Boots only hurried by quickly. He had urgent business elsewhere, you see." He explained, leaning back in his cart and staring around my apartment with the same wonder he always did, as if he'd never been here before.

"Oh? What was so important on that side of town? Are you hungry by the way? I think I have some left over pizza slices." I asked, bending down and rummaging through my fridge. Most of my money went to food and rent, but the money I made on the fish marked where more then enough to keep my stomach full.

"No, Boots isn't hungry, he ate for not too long ago. Boots had to meet a man and a woman about a thing in an alley. Very interesting business." He said casually, picking at his nicotine stained hands. I'd offered for him to take a shower and take some of my clothes, but he refused that too.

"Your not into drugs or anything like that, right? It's dangerous and you can't trust people like that. If you need money that badly, you can come to me instead and I'll give you what I can." I offered him with a frown. They would probably just take advantage of him. It wasn't his fault that he was mentally handicapped, he couldn't help it.

"That's very nice of Anthony to offer, but no, Boots aint dealing with drugs. Nope, the handsome man and the pretty woman weren't interested in drugs at all. They were interested in a person, and Boots was interested in a stone." He said, staring up at me with unblinking eyes.

I furrowed my brows and looked at him funnily.

"What do you mean?" I asked, slowly. I had a bad feeling about this. I knew that Henry had people after me. And while I also knew that Boots would never intentionally sell me out to the bad guys, he wouldn't really know if he did it ether.

"Boots hasn't never ever told you about this, but Boots got a family. A very big family. So big Anthony couldn't even imagine how big. And Boots family wants their stone back, because someone took it from them many years ago.

So Boots met up with these two people, because he knew that they knew about the stone. But they didn't have it, but Boots already knew about that. Boots knows that Anthony has the stone. Boots also know that Anthony doesn't want the stone, but he can't seem to lose it ether." He said with a thoughtful look on his face, ignoring my gaping mouth.

"You know about the stone? You can have it and give it to your family! You could have just asked, and I would have given it to you, you don't need to go and see people about something like this." I said, reaching into my pocket and grabbing it. I'd felt the weight of it as soon as I'd pulled my pants on.

Boots shook his head quickly.

"You can't give Boots the stone. It doesn't work that way. And the people Boots met had to understand that you see."

"Who are these people anyway? Why are they important, and why can't you just take it and give it to your family?" I asked confused. I was actually pretty damn confused about Boots now as well. Did this mean that he knew about Vampires as well? Should I ask? Bella had told me that I could get killed if anyone ever found about the fact that I knew of the other world, so to speak.

But then again Oliver and Nicole had made it perfectly clear that no Vampire could see me with this stone. So what did that make Boots? What the hell was he?

"The only way Boots can get the stone back is if Boots kills Anthony, and takes the stone by force. But Boots doesn't want to kill Anthony, you see." I felt my eyes widen, and I sat down on my bed slowly, trying to take all of this in.

I'm pretty sure I could take Boots if he tried to kill me. I mean, his body was all weird and crippled and he didn't have legs, but the fact that my only friend in the city was telling me that he had to kill me to get something back to his family was a little unsettling, to say the least.

It seemed that I couldn't go anywhere in this world without people wanting to kill me.

"And the people?" I asked quietly when he didn't say anything else.

"They were both Vampires. Oh don't look so surprised. Boots knows more then you give him credit for, _Edward_." He said with a knowing smirk on his tiny face.

"You know about them?" I asked, struggling to close my mouth. Boots nodded, his smirk turning into a shit eating grin.

"Bella and Emmett, I believe their names were." He said with a different tone to his voice. I pushed my glasses up my nose, and dragged a hand thought my hair quickly before I stood up.

"Bella is here? In New York?" I asked quickly, not really caring about anything else at the moment. Bella was here. In the City. Right now.

And she couldn't see me because of this damn stone.

"Yes, she is. Emmett too. Weren't you paying attention?" He mocked me slightly, and again I noticed the difference in his voice. It was as if he wasn't…mentally handicapped anymore. He was talking like a normal person.

"What's going on?" I asked him, grabbing a shirt and a pair of socks. I slipped the socks on quickly and started pulling the shirt over my head, almost breaking my glasses in the process. I needed to see Bella as soon as possible, and it didn't really matter to me if she could see me or not. For the first time in weeks, I felt a little bit of happiness seep into my chest.

I knew that she said she'd come after me. But I was expecting it to be months, or years. Not a few weeks.

"Emmett and Bella came here to protect you, or beg for your life is more like it. Bella offered her life as a trade for yours. She said that you could give the stone to her, so that we could kill her instead of you." He said, analyzing me with his beady eyes. It was as if he was a completely different person.

"She WHAT?!" I almost roared, dropping my shoe on the floor. No way in hell was she getting the stone then. I would guard it with my life before I gave it to her.

"Well you're not going to, are you? Kill her, I mean." I asked, frantically, feeling the panic shoot through out my body. I couldn't imagine how anyone could even play with the idea of killing someone as amazing as her.

"Relax, your precious love won't die. And neither will Emmett. We've talked everything over and we've figured out a way to make everyone happy. My family and I will get our stone back, you and your vampire friends will live and have your happily ever after, and your father, Henry, shall die." He said with a mischievous smile on his face.

I felt both of my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I was not expecting that part at all.

"What do you mean, Henry will die? What does he have to do about anything?" Boots sighed and rolled his eyes, and looked at me as if he was explaining something to a small child who'd sniffed a little too much glue.

"You are the rightful owner of the stone at the moment, and I'm sure you've noticed that it keeps appearing and won't go away, no matter how hard you try to throw it away, no?" He asked, and I nodded and motioned for him to go on.

"Well, you might be the owner of the stone, but it's still not yours. It belongs to me, and my family. We need it for protection from the rest of the…mythical world, I suppose you can call it. And the only way for us to get it, is by murdering the current owner of it, as I've already told you. And I don't want to kill you, Edward. That's why I've been stopping my family from attacking you for these past few weeks.

Now, you see there is a way for us to get our stone and for you to survive. All you need to do, is give the stone to Henry, and let me and my brothers take care of the rest." He explained, waiving his arms around a bit to empathize his point.

"So what you're saying, is that I have to go back to the man I'm running away from, give him the stone, and then let you and your family kill him?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around all this new information.

"Pretty much." He answered, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up.

"But he's not even my real father…" As much as I hated Henry, I didn't know if I'd ever be able to help someone murder him. Or anyone, for that matter.

"It's ether him, you or Bella." He said with a shrug.

"Not Bella." I said immediately. I would do whatever was in my power to protect her no matter what. It was the least I could do after everything she and her family had done for me.

"Well there you have it then! It's ether you, or Henry. I want you to put yourself in his shoes. Do you think he would hesitate with killing you?" He asked me with a raised eyebrow, taking a deep drag from his cigarette.

I didn't really have to think about that to know the answer. Henry wouldn't hesitate to with killing me at all. I still didn't want him to die though. It was bad enough that he was paralyzed from the waist down, and now I'd have to kill him? I knew it wouldn't actually be me doing the deed, but at the end of the day he'd still be dead.

"Isn't there any other way around this? Can't we solve this without anyone dying? I know that Henry would kill me at once, but… I don't want to sink down to his level. I'm better then him." I said, clenching my hand around the damn stone. Who knew such a small thing could cause so much trouble.

"I'm afraid not. Actually, Bella and I made a deal with my father. If I don't bring that stone back to New York within two days time, the clock starting as soon as we land in Port Angeles, You and I will die, along with Emmett and Bella. So if you really think about it, it's ether Henry, or us. Personally, I would prefer if you gave him the stone." Boots said casually, as if his own death wasn't that big of a deal to discuss.

"If Bella's life is at stake then I guess I don't have a choice. Rather him then her. And I don't want you or Emmett to die ether…" I said slowly.

"Well, then grab whatever you need and lets go. Emmett and your lovely lady is waiting for us at the airport. The limo is waiting for us downstairs." I was already packing everything that was within my reach, throwing on a pair of jeans instead of my pajama pants.

I almost jumped out of my own skin when I hurried out of the bathroom. The person standing there was certainly _not _Boots.

This man was tall, strong and if it was one thing he wasn't, it was mentally handicapped. He looked smart, and, even I had to admit, handsome.

"What, how- Where is Boots?" I asked, perplexed. I didn't really know what to say. On one hand, he was wearing Boots clothes, heck, he even smelled as bad as Boots did, but on the other hand, he was just so…_good _looking. It was such a huge contrast to the Boots that had been sitting in the cart only moments ago.

"I am Boots, Edward! Don't worry about this minor detail. It's better that you know as little as possible, for your own safety I mean. Seeing as you already know about the vampires, I'm sure you're used to seeing…unusual things by now." He said, taking a last drag from his cigarette, dropping the bud into his cart.

I snapped out of my daze and just shook my head, not even bothering to ask about it. He was right of course, I had seen a lot of strange things lately, but I don't think I'd ever seen anything quite as weird as something like this. A minor detail was the last thing I would call it.

"Well hurry up then, our plane leaves tonight." He said impatiently, shifting his weight from one foot over to another.

I grabbed my jacket and keys and bag and walked out of my apartment, Boots hot on my heals. He walked down the stairs while I locked the door, and I hurried down after him. Just like he'd promised, a limo was waiting for us outside, one huge guy holding the door open for us, bowing his head slightly to Boots right before we got in.

"Is this the boy?" A gruff voice asked from the shadows of the limo. It reeked of Cigar and booze, and a group of the biggest guys I'd ever seen were sitting quietly with their eyes placed on me, analyzing my every move. I didn't know which one of them that spoke, but I had a feeling it was the one smoking and drinking, sitting opposite from Boots and I.

"Don't question me, Alphorn." Boots snarled angrily, and I could practically see him growing in both height and size. He was clenching both of his fists and staring angrily at the big guy with the black hair. Actually, all of them had black hair.

I pushed my glasses further up my nose carefully, trying to make myself as invisible as possible. I didn't like this one bit, knowing that each one of these guys wanted to kill me for having their stone.

"Always so angry little brother. Relax, _Bootzanius, _I just wanted to know if this was the famous Edward Masen." He said, taking a healthy gulp of…whatever kind of booze he had in his crystal glass. Bootzanius. That was obviously Boots real name.

"Well obviously this is him, why the hell would I bring some stranger in here, and spend almost forty five minutes in someone's apartment, if this wasn't the right guy? Of course this is the right guy!" He yelled angrily, slamming his fist into the seat. I couldn't see why he was getting so worked up over a few comments from his brother, but then again, I didn't know their background ether.

Alphorn sighed and rolled his eyes, not even bothering to look at his brother.

"You have to excuse Boots, he's never gotten over the fact that he won't take over after our father dies. It is a… _sensitive _subject." He said with a sly smile on his lips, staring at Boots through his lashes without even blinking.

"That's not what this is about and if you'd just stop thinking about yourself for one second-"

"Can I see the stone please? I'd like to see what I'll be bringing back to father." Alphorn said, interrupting Boots little rant. I glanced over at Boots, only to see his flustered face glaring daggers at his brother.

"_You_, won't be delivering _anything_." He seethed, pointing a shaking finger at his brother.

Alphorn only looked at me expectantly, as if his brother hadn't even opened his mouth.

I glanced over at Boots, and he nodded for me to take it out and show it. It seemed as if everyone in the car besides Boots straightened up as I reached for the stone in my pocket, and all of them leaned forward as I loosened up my fingers and revealed the stone. It seemed dull, and lifeless as it sat in my hand, its reflection shining innocently in all of their eyes.

"Magnificent." Alphorn breathed, staring at it with glazed eyes.

"In all my years, I never thought I'd see the stone in real life. Our ancestors would be proud." He whispered, his hand reaching out as if he wanted to touch it, but he stopped half way there and pulled his hand back, almost regretfully.

"How long has this been gone?" I asked, closing my hand around it and slipping it into my pocket. All of them snapped out of their trance and sat back into their seats.

"Thousands of years." Alphorn answered, glancing up at me before casting his eyes down into his drink with a thoughtful look on his face. I nodded and leaned back in my seat, staring out of the window and trying to ignore all the eyes on my pocket. It seemed as if that was the only thing on their mind right now.

"What happens if you touch it? I don't really get why you can't just take it. And yes, I know that you have to take it by force and all that, but what happens if you touch it right now?" I asked Boots. He was the only person, or creature now I guess, that I was comfortable with around here.

"We would die." Alphorn answered simply before Boots could open his mouth, staring at me expectantly, as if waiting to see if I would throw it at one of them.

"Oh." It was all I could think to say. It wasn't really the answer I was expecting. Hell, I don't even know what I was expecting.

"Um, the vampires that gave me the stone told me that no vampire would be able to find me with this stone… How am I suppose to see Bella and Emmett? How am I suppose to talk to them? Will they feel anything if I touch them?" I asked Boots again, and I hoped that he would be the one who answered me this time. Alphorn was a special character, and I wasn't sure if I really liked him all that much.

"You will see them just fine, but they won't even notice that your there, not even if you touch them. It's the stone that's protecting you from them. You could slice your wrists open and hold it up to their mouths and they still wouldn't notice that you were there." Boots explained, sending a small smirk towards his brother, as if answering before him was something to brag about. I wasn't sure if I liked the new Boots or the old one.

"So I can say whatever I want to them and they won't hear a thing?"

"That's right. But, as soon as you hand the stone over to Henry, they'll be able to see you again." He said with a small smile. I gave a hesitant smile back. They could explain all of this to me a hundred times and I'd still be confused as hell.

The limo finally stopped outside of the airport, and Boots shrugged out of his huge, brown leather jacket, and I was surprised to see him wearing slacks and a blue button up shirt underneath it. It was funny how a jacket could make such a huge difference. He looked like a bum with it on, but a business man with it off.

"Come on already, you'll never look as good as me no matter what, so there is no reason for you to even try looking presentable." Alphorn said arrogantly, straightening out his own jacket and grabbing a black walking cane from one of the body guards before strolling into the airport like he owned the place. And by the way he was dressed, it looked like he could be the owner of it.

"I hate that guy." Boots muttered angrily, combing his fingers through his inky hair a few times hurriedly before grabbing my sore upper arm and practically dragging my tired ass into the airport after the rest of his family.

Why was it that every single time something remotely huge was happening, I was tired off my ass? I mean, was it so much to ask to just be awake and alert? I didn't think so.

It only took us ten minutes to get through security. For some reason, they let us walk on ahead of all the lines, and Alphorn only had to nod to the security guards and they let us walk past, earning more then a few complaints from the other people in the lines behind us.

I saw them as soon as we were past security. I only had eyes for Bella, although Emmett was hard to miss because of his size.

"Bella!" I yelled, a huge smile breaking out across my face. The wound on my cheek hurt, and I realized that this was the first time I'd really smiled since I left Forks.

She didn't look at me though, she was looking at Boots, and Emmett was looking around the room expectantly. That's when I remembered that nether of them could nether see nor hear me.

"Is he here?" Was the first thing out of Bella's mouth as soon as Boots and the rest of his family reached them. I reached out and touched her cheek, but she didn't notice it. Not even when I pulled a peace of her hair behind her ear.

"He's cupping your cheek at the moment." Boots answered, glancing over at me. Bella's hand shot up and she touched her other cheek carefully.

"The other one, my dear." Boots corrected softly, hiding his smile behind his hand.

"How come I can't feel him?" She asked, touching my hand as if she was touching her own cheek.

"It's the stone, darling. Alphorn is the name. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard such great things of you and your…brother." Alphorn said in what I assume was his charming voice, glancing over at a scowling Emmett.

"_Gate 76 is now open and ready for boarding on the plane to Seattle," _a woman's voice called throughout the airport speakers.

"Well, that's us. Boots, I can't believe you didn't order a private plane. This is almost degrading." Alphorn huffed in annoyance before turning on his heal and walking out of there before anyone could answer.

"I've missed you Bella, so much. You're all I've been thinking about ever since I left." I said quietly, walking closely beside her.

"Edward says that he's been missing you, and that he's been thinking about you ever since he left." Boots translated to Bella, and both she and Emmett gave him a weird look.

"Why are you acting so… differently now?" Emmett asked, speaking up for the first time since I had arrived.

"My brother tends to change my mood like this." He answered with a shrug, handing his plane ticket to one of the awe struck stewardesses with a friendly smile that practically made her swoon.

"Can you tell him that I've been missing him too? And that -"

"He can hear you, my dear. He is walking besides you right now."

"I've been driving the rest of the family crazy. Especially Alice. I've been pestering her with questions about where you've been, what you've been doing, if you were okay. I've been worried sick ever since she couldn't see you anymore." She said with an embarrassed look on her face, staring down at the floor.

"What does she mean, Alice can't see me anymore?" I asked Boots, taking my seat beside Bella in first class.

"It's because of the stone, Edward. Everything is about the stone now." Boots answered in a bored voice, staring at his brother who was flirting with the same stewardess who'd smiled at Boots only moments ago. It seemed that these brothers were competitive in absolutely everything they did.

It wasn't long before the plane was in the air, and Bella and I used all of our time passing notes. She might not be able too see, or hear, or feel me being there. But she could read the notes that I put in her lap. It was more private anyway, and we didn't have to bother Boots with the translation all the time. He was in a foul mood anyway, and it seemed like he wanted to be left alone.

"What are you guys writing about?" Emmett asked curiously, leaning in between our seats and staring down at the peace of paper that was laying in her lap.

"He's just telling me about everything that happened after he left, and I'm answering any question he's got and updating him on everything that's been going on in Forks." She answered him.

"Did you tell him about Henry?" He wondered, staring at my forehead instead of into my eyes, his golden eyes curiously scanning my whole seat.

"I've told him everything, Emmett. I just can't wait until we can see you again. It's like…It's like I know your there, I just can't see you. Its very frustrating, to be honest." She said sheepishly, trying to look at me too.

I fished the damn stone out of my pocket, holding it up to my face.

I couldn't _wait _until all of this was over.

* * *

**Hope all of you liked it. Not the best chapter, I know. I actually didn't like this one all that much but as long as you like it it doesn't really matter. **

**Review? :)**


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